Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Clash Over Disputed Border Region

Soldier stands guard over the ancient city built by Alexander the Great at Khujand, Tajikistan. (Wikimedia Commons)

Border guards exchanged gunfire across the Kyrgyz-Tajik border on March 10, marking the latest violent incident in an ongoing dispute over demarcation between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. According to the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), local residents report that one Tajik guard was killed and one civilian was injured. No casualties were reported among the Kyrgyz guards. 

The Kyrgyz Border Guard Service claimed Tajik guards instigated the shootout when they moved into a disputed zone, demanding that Kyrgyz guards in the area evacuate. The Tajik government has not made any official statement in response to these accusations. 

According to Eurasianet, later in the day on March 10, officials from the Batken district in Kyrgyzstan and the Sughd region in Tajikistan met to respond to the violence. In reference to the conflict, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov stated, “Let this year become a year of unity, cohesion, and friendship of our people, as well as the year of development and perfection of Kyrgyzstan's achievements.” 

Contradicting these calls for regional peace, however, local Kyrgyz authorities invited an Uzbek delegation to the event but did not extend the same invitation to the Tajiks.

Furthermore, some locals viewed Japarov’s pledge to regional peace as a false promise. Residents from Kok-Tash, a nearby village located in the disputed border region, criticized Japarov after his speech drew Kyrgyz residents away from the annual festival of Nowruz in Kok-Tash. The festival has historically been a time of joint celebration between the village’s Tajik and Kyrgyz neighbors. Many hoped that this year's event would provide an opportunity for reconciliation.

This incident comes after a January 27 clash, when Tajik troops blocked a strategic road running across the Kyrgyz side of the border. The Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security claimed that Tajik border personnel violated agreements to reopen the highway by firing on Kyrgyz guards. The Tajik Border service accused the Kyrgyz guards of using “small arms to open fire on Tajik civilians.” The fighting concluded with two civilian deaths and 10 individuals wounded on the Tajik side, as well as 12 individuals wounded on the Kyrgyz side, per Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). In April 2021, a similar clash led to over 50 deaths across both sides.

Because nearly half of the 970-kilometer-long Kyrgyz-Tajik border has yet to be demarcated, fights have erupted between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan ever since they gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. According to Open Democracy, the number of densely-populated enclaves on both sides of the border has only increased the number of flashpoints for conflict.

One one hand, a lack of reliable, independent media outlets in the area as well as state-run news sources’ nationalistic sentiments have hindered reconciliation efforts and obscured facts from the international community. On the other hand, insincere declarations from both the Tajik and Kyrgz governments, in which they call for compromise and peace, remain key factors in the perpetuating gridlock.