Kyrgyzstan-­Tajikistan Conflict

In News

• Recently, nearly 100 people have been killed and scores injured in violent border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

More about the news

Image Courtesy: aa

• About:
  • A ceasefire, brokered by Russia, was recently agreed upon after the clashes.
  • The two landlocked countries share a 1,000-km long border, a large part of which is disputed. 
    • 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. 
  • It is important to note that both Kyrgyztan and Tajikistan are Russian military bases.
    • The border dispute between the nations is a part of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).
• History of the region:
  • 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.
  • The borders of the two republics were demarcated under Joseph Stalin’s leadership. 
• Issue:
  • There have been flare-ups in the past as well over sharing water and land resources.
    • The current clashes are replaying old pre- and post-Soviet era legacies. 
  • Issue of livestock:
    • The creation of the Soviet Union saw the large-scale redistribution of livestock to collective and state farms.
    • The Tajik territory saw their livestock increase, and with scarce grazing land, agreements were signed between the two populations over the utilization of Kyrgyz territory by the Tajiks’ livestock.
  • Water resources:
    • 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, 
    • This led to a marked increase in water consumption patterns among the farmers. 
    • Both countries 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.
  • Ethnic and religious diversity:
    • Both countries, while sharing a closely intertwined historical past, have had differing internal dynamics since coming into statehood. 
    • One can trace their instability to transnational challenges and internal ethnic strife.
    • The ethnic and religious diversity of Central Asia made land borders a fraught socio-political issue even under the Soviet regime.
    • People of one ethnic grouping often resided in settlements in the territory that another major community claimed its own. Such is the complex border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyztan. 
  • The immediate cause of the current flare-up:
    • The ideological basis of the current set of clashes is reinforced by developmental issues, thus providing a fertile ground for the entire geopolitical scenario.
    • The conflict was further highlighted by incidents which saw groups from either side planting trees in disputed areas and engaging in a physical confrontation using agricultural equipment as weapons.
• Frozen conflicts in the region:
  • Frozen conflicts:
    • In international relations parlance, conflicts that ended in a stalemate or without a peace treaty are known as frozen conflicts. 
    • The frozen conflicts of the post-Soviet era are increasingly threatening regional peace. 
  • Armenia and Azerbaijan: 
    • Recently clashes also broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 
  • Ferghana valley: 
    • Regions like 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.

Way ahead

• The path to resolution of the conflict will require warring groups to agree upon a common map. 
• The international community will have to make efforts to solve the dispute by involving elders in the communities, as historically, elders have been used to resolve conflicts. 
• The informal small-scale governance mechanisms would also have to be further strengthened through a concerted effort by the respective countries to stabilise the geopolitical dynamics.
• Stability in the region is crucial for Russia to project itself as the world power it seeks to become. 

Source: TH