Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan conflict

Context

Nearly 100 people have been killed and scores injured in violent border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over the last week. 

About Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Conflict

• The clashes are replaying old pre- and post-Soviet era legacies.
• The borders of the two republics were demarcated under Joseph Stalin’s leadership.
• Historically, the Kyrgyz and Tajik populations enjoyed common rights over natural resources.
• The issue of the delimitation of the border is a relic of the Soviet era.
• While regular talks have tried to resolve the issue, one of the crucial points of disagreement remains over the map which should be used for demarcation purposes.
• Almost half of its close to a 1000 km border is disputed.

The origins of the conflict

• The creation of the Soviet Union saw the large-scale redistribution of livestock to collective and state farms, which upset the existing status quo.
• Unfortunately, there was only so much land to go around.
• The Tajik territory of Batken saw their livestock increase, and with scarce grazing land, agreements were signed between the two populations over the utilisation of Kyrgyz territory by the Tajiks’ livestock.

Further course of action

• First, the resolution of the conflict will require groups to agree upon a common map.
• Second, the international community will have to make efforts to solve the dispute by involving elders in the communities.
• Third, the informal small-scale governance mechanisms would also have to be further strengthened through a joint effort by both the countries.

Significance of Batken

• The Batken region, bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the south of the country, is one of the seven regions of Kyrgyzstan with its natural underground and water resources, natural beauty, smooth transit routes and a population of around 500,000.
• Located 750 kilometers (466.02 miles) from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and in the southwest of the country, the Batken region is located on the edge of the famous Fergana Valley in Central Asia.
• Fergana Valley includes Fergana, Namangan, Andijan in Uzbekistan, Hocand in Tajikistan, Osh, Jalalabad and Batken in Kyrgyzstan.
• The Batken region borders the Republic of Uzbekistan in the northeast and the Republic of Tajikistan in the southwest and north.
• Covering 8.5% of Kyrgyzstan’s land, the region has agricultural, underground, water and energy resources, as well as oil and natural gas resources, albeit small.