After more than a year after the interethnic clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan, the situation is far from resolved. Local observers report that the situation on the state border and in the Sokh enclave of Uzbekistan is deteriorating. Moreover, the Committee on protection of the state border of Uzbekistan reports that “certain representatives” of the Batken region authorities in Kyrgyzstan seek “to aggravate the situation artificially.”
It should be recalled that in September 2010, an agreement was reached between the heads of Kyrgyzstan’s and Uzbekistan’s border authorities to resume the operation of the customs border posts Devayram in Uzbekistan’s Sokh region and Gazprom in the Batken region in Kyrgyzstan. Both points operated according to the agreement. However, from May 1 the Kyrgyz point “Gazprom” was unilaterally closed. It was not opened for three months, in spite of numerous requests of the Uzbek side. Consequently, from August 1 the Uzbek point “Devayram” was also closed.
The press service of the abovementioned Uzbek border committee noted that measures taken in relation to the Kyrgyz side’s failure to comply with the provisions of the agreement were perceived negatively by the residents of several border villages of Kyrgyzstan. For example, several residents of the Apkan and Boz-Adyr villages of Kyrgyzstan organized protest actions, blocking the transit road between Rishtan and Sokh. The Committee requested that the Kyrgyz side refrain from unilateral decisions on issues which should be handled on an intergovernmental basis and to take measures to stop and prevent the activities of certain individuals.
Relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in general are far from cooperative and friendly. Thus, as reported by Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Energy, Uzbekistan has again raised the price for importing gas to Kyrgyzstan; this time by 14 percent, from US$ 244 to US$ 278 per thousand cubic meters of gas.
Furthermore, the economy of southern Kyrgyzstan still suffers significantly from the interethnic conflict. One of the largest markets of southern Kyrgyzstan and the Ferghana Valley, Karasu, suffers great losses. For many years Uzbek citizens were among the majors customers of this market. With the border to Uzbekistan closed after the events of June 2010, the number of visitors halved. However, locals report that some Uzbek citizens try to cross the border illegally, aiming to get to this market. The head of the regional administration apparently allows this due to the income brought by these merchants to the city budget.
Another sign of continued tensions is continuous reports from the residents of border villages about unsanctioned activities by the border guards or other representatives of the authorities on the basis of ethnicity. Ethnic Uzbek residents of towns in southern Kyrgyzstan have reported incidents where local policemen of Kyrgyz ethnicity subjected them to detention, torture and extortion. Several Uzbek citizens have also reported harsh treatment on the border from Kyrgyz border guards. In both cases the victims report being mistreated solely on the basis of ethnicity.
It is reported that the incident on the border between the Batken region and the Sokh enclave is now settled, and the road between Rishtan and Sokh is open. However, as the head of the defense and law enforcement department in Batken region Arstan Hodjaev stated: “the decision to close the Gazprom point on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border was taken by the border service of the State Committee on National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic, and therefore the local administration has no authority to take decisions concerning the state border, including issues of opening or closure of checkpoints.” Furthermore, Hodjaev noted that during the blockade of the road by Kyrgyz villagers, local authorities held information meetings and sought to persuade people to refrain from panic. According to representatives of the Kyrgyz authorities there were no individuals with special interests within the Kyrgyz authorities, who would instigate such provocative actions by the population.
In sum, the tragic events of the summer 2010 still have evident consequences for everyday life in southern Kyrgyzstan. For many, this tendency is particularly troubling as the abovementioned animosity between people that used to live together and share ideological and religious views is a sign of deep interethnic hostility between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks that emerged relatively recently.