Nearly 100 people have been killed and scores injured in violent border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan In September 2022. A ceasefire, brokered by Russia, was agreed on September 16.
Key points
- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are landlocked countries and share a 1,000-km long border, a large part of which is disputed.
- There have been flare-ups in the past as well over sharing water and land resources.
- The Batken region of Kyrgyzstan is seeing families being moved out and getting relocated.
- The situation in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, is no different.
- The highly militarised borders also add to tensions.
- The clashes are replaying old pre- and post-Soviet era legacies.
- The borders of the two countries were demarcated under Joseph Stalin’s leadership.
- The Kyrgyz and Tajik populations enjoyed common rights over natural resources.
- Ferghana valley continues to be a site of struggle and frequent violent outbursts, with the location consisting primarily of Tajiks, Kyrgyz, and Uzbeks, who have historically shared common sociological specificities, economic activities, and religious practices.
- The collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent dissolution of the then-existing water and land agreements saw the creation of multiple smaller independent farms, which led to a marked increase in water consumption patterns among the farmers.
- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan share multiple water channels with undulating trajectories and flow, which upset equitable access to water on both sides. As a result, small-scale conflicts occur practically every year during the crucial irrigation period.
