29 Apr 2021 | 01:01 PM UTC
Kyrgyzstan: Border clashes reported between Kyrgyz and Tajik citizens in Batken province April 29
Inter-ethnic clashes reported in border area of Batken Province, Kyrgyzstan, April 29. Further clashes, localized disruptions likely.
Event
Authorities in Batken Province have announced a local state of emergency in the rural districts of Ak-Say, Ak-Tatyr, and Samarkandek as of April 29 following ethnic clashes between residents in the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border area.
The violence reportedly broke out the morning of April 29 around the Golovnoy water station. Kyrgyz security forces allege that Tajik residents crossed the border, threw stones at cars on the Osh-Isfana road, and opened fire on a Kyrgyz military unit near Kok-Tash. Unconfirmed reports suggest that violence also erupted in the nearby village of Khoja A'lo. Several roads are closed in the area, including the Osh-Batken-Isfana road near Jaka-Oruk and the route connecting Aksai with the Kyrgyz exclave of Vorukh. At least one person has been reportedly killed and four Kyrgyz citizens and seven Tajik citizens injured. Sporadic violence is reportedly ongoing with unconfirmed local media claiming that Kyrgyz and Tajik security forces have exchanged fire.
Kyrgyz authorities have increased security in the area and could evacuate residents as a precaution if the violence escalates further. Security-related disruptions are likely in the area in the coming days. Any further violence will pose an incidental physical threat to bystanders.
Context
Confrontations between residents in border areas of the Ferghana Valley, where Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan intersect, are relatively common. The borders are often poorly demarcated, with several exclaves of differing ethnicities increasing the potential for social unrest. The latest clashes are likely to abate in the coming days and a wider escalation of the dispute is unlikely.
Advice
Avoid travel to the affected areas until the situation has calmed. Exercise caution in Kyrgyz-Tajik border areas of Batken Province in the coming days. Allow additional time for travel; carry relevant identification documents, and remain polite and nonconfrontational if questioned by security forces. Leave the area immediately at the first sign of a confrontation.
