Territorial disputes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are bound to cause more instability in a region already reeling from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskThe border clash is the worst between any of the five post-Soviet republics in Central Asia since they achieved independence in the early 1990s. Some 100 people have been killed, twice as many as in a bout of fighting last year.
Both countries blame the other for the violence. Kyrgyz officials said the recent hostilities began after a Tajik border guard strayed into their territory and opened fire on Kyrgyz troops. The Tajiks said Kyrgyz officers shot at their forces without reason. By the time the two countries’ presidents negotiated a ceasefire on September 16th, the fighting had spread across an area of 2,000 square kilometres.
Madeleine Reeves of Oxford University described the incident as an “armed military incursion by Tajikistan”, given that Tajik troops attacked infrastructure and civilian facilities some distance from disputed areas. Some observers speculated that Tajikistan is aiming to make life in Kyrgyz border villages so unpleasant that they empty out and become easier to take over.
The fighting is an additional headache for Russia, which claims to act as a security guarantor in a region that it sees as its backyard. Both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are Russian allies. Both host Russian military bases and are members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation , the region’s answer toRussia has issued mealy-mouthed expressions of concern and offered to help with proper demarcation of the border between the two countries. That would be a useful start.
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