A series of sporadic border clashes resumed betweenKyrgyzstan andTajikistan on 27 January 2022, following a series ofclashes in 2021 between the two countries.[13]
Kyrgyzstan officials said that the clashes escalated on 14 September 2022, with Tajik forces using tanks,APCs, and mortars to enter at least one Kyrgyz village and shelling the airport of the Kyrgyz town ofBatken and adjacent areas.[14] Both nations blamed each other for the fighting.[15] The border conflict continued for two days, after which the parties were able to agree to aceasefire on the night of 16 September 2022,[16] which only held for about a day.[17][18]
Kyrgyzstan's PresidentSadyr Japarov said in a televised address that his country would continue efforts to resolve the Kyrgyz–Tajik border issues in a purely peaceful way.[19] Tajikistan's foreign ministry stated that the key to resolving the conflict lay in negotiations, and it reiterated its position that Kyrgyzstan had instigated the fighting.[20] Russian news agencies reported that both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had agreed to pull out additional military hardware and forces from the border, citing a statement from the head of theSughd Region of Tajikistan.[19] On 20 September 2022, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a peace deal.[21]
A border conflict started between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on 28 April 2021.[26] The events surrounding the conflict's outbreak are disputed, but clashes reportedly began due to an oldwater dispute between the two countries,[27][28] near theVorukh enclave.[29]
On 3 May 2021, both countries completed the withdrawal of troops from the border,[30] and on 18 May 2021, officials in both countries announced that they had agreed to joint security controls along their disputed border.[31] Apart from a small-scale incident on 9 July 2021,[32] the ceasefire held until January 2022.
On 27 January 2022, clashes resulted in the deaths of two Tajik civilians and the wounding of several more on both sides of the contested border.[33] Tajikistan'sState Committee for National Security said in a statement that ten of its citizens were injured, six of themservicemen, the rest civilians. On the other side, Kyrgyzstan's Health Ministry said that at least 11 of its citizens were being treated for moderately serious injuries. Kyrgyzstan authorities stated that the blocking of a road between the provincial center ofBatken and the Kyrgyz village ofIsfana by Tajik citizens was the cause of the clashes.[33]
According to Tajik sources, a border clash occurred on 3 June after Kyrgyz soldiers crossed the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border close toVorukh.[36] Two weeks later, on 14 June, a Tajik border guard was killed and three others injured in a clash with Kyrgyz border troops.[37]
On 14 September, oneTajik border guard was killed and two others were wounded during clashes withKyrgyz guards who accused Tajikistan of taking positions in ademarcated area.[38] Later the same day, two border guards were reported killed and eleven others wounded, five of whom were civilians.[39]
On 16 September, the conflict escalated. The use oftanks andarmored personnel carriers was reported, as well as the shelling of theBatken Airport in the city of Batken, Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan accused Kyrgyzstan of shelling an outpost and seven border villages with heavy weapons. Tajik forces also entered a Kyrgyz border village. At least 31 injuries were reported by Kyrgyzstan, while one civilian was killed and three others were injured according to Tajik forces inIsfara, and Kyrgyzstan later announced 24 people had died and 87 more were injured.[14][40]
Multiple ceasefires between increasingly higher ranking officials have been reached but have repeatedly been broken.[14] Coincidentally, the leaders of both countries were attending the2022 SCO summit of theShanghai Cooperation Organisation held inSamarkand, Uzbekistan, where they met and discussed the conflict.[41] TheKyrgyz Parliament held an emergency meeting due to the situation.[42] More than 136,000 people were evacuated from the conflict zone by Kyrgyzstan.[43] Tajikistan said that 15 of its civilians were killed in a KyrgyzBayraktar TB2 drone strike on a mosque.[44]
Houses and civilian structures, including markets and schools, in the village of Ak-Sai in Kyrgyzstan were reported to have been intentionally burned andlooted. Kyrgyzstan authorities said that 137,000 people had been evacuated to the Batken andOsh regions.[45]
The Diplomat called the conflict an act of aggression by Tajikistan. It said that the attack could be related to speculation that Tajik PresidentEmomali Rahmon plans to hand over his position to his sonRustam Emomali, who is currently the Chairman of theNational Assembly of Tajikistan. It also theorized that President Rahmon might wish to pull the attention of domestic and international audiences away from protests in theGorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region by thePamiris.[46]
Russian presidentVladimir Putin called the leaders of both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, urging them to reach a peace agreement.[48] Russia has military bases in both countries.[49]
The TurkishMinistry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement hoping that the tension ends quickly without further escalation and that the disputes are settled peacefully through dialogue.[50]Mustafa Şentop, theSpeaker of Turkish Parliament, spoke on the phone with his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterparts, stating that "consultations between us as brothers are important in these days" and that "calm and common sense" are needed to solve the problems.[51]
^Bergne, Paul (2007). "The National Territorial Delimitation".The Birth of Tajikistan: National Identity and the Origins of the Republic. London: I.B. Tauris.doi:10.5040/9780755620180.ch-005.ISBN978-1-78831-271-4.
Tajikistan
Afghan mujahids[1][2][3] (per Kyrgyzstan)
Kyrgyzstan
