GENEVA, June 6, 2008 (AFP) - Some 2,000 individuals have asked the International Organisation for Migration for help to escape xenophobic violence in South Africa, said the inter-governmental group on Friday.

The Ethiopian and Ghanaian governments have also made formal requests to the IOM to help repatriate their nationals, said the IOM's spokeswoman Jemini Pandya.

Besides the two governments, the IOM had also received enquiries from Burundi, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, added Pandya.

In all, she said the organisation would need one million dollars (641,500 euros) to help these migrants.

In addition, it is seeking 1.9 million dollars to launch a two-year anti-xenophobia programme together with local partners, she added.

According to South African police, 62 people were killed and tens of thousands of foreigners left homeless, mainly around Johannesburg, during two weeks of xenophobic attacks which later spread to most parts of South Africa.