Unfamiliar calm on Central Asia's disputed borders
VORUKH, Tajikistan: Bus driver Amrullo Yusupov has long faced challenges navigating the winding mountain passes of Central Asia — but a recent historic border agreement has brought calm to the troubled region. Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan signed in March the last of a series of deals to formalize the long-disputed borders between the countries in the Fergana Valley, a region that has ignited several violent clashes. 'Everything is calm, now that the borders have been demarcated,' Yusupov told AFP.
Navigating the maze of Tajik exclaves — pockets of territory embedded within Kyrgyzstan — had been a challenge. 'I used to be afraid to drive here at night. The road was a bit problematic,' Yusupov said. The Fergana Valley, which spans the three countries, has seen hundreds of deadly skirmishes, in disputes over access to roads and water, a precious resource in the arid agricultural region.
Local disputes would quickly escalate as troops got involved to protect their citizens and the land on their side of the invisible border. In brief wars in 2021 and 2022, hundreds of Tajiks and Kyrgyz were killed and wounded, according to official estimates from both sides. The complicated geography is a legacy of the Soviet Union, with internal borders drawn up based on economic considerations, rather than ethnic, cultural or linguistic dividing lines. With its collapse, the lines became international frontiers, isolating tens of thousands of people in the exclaves.
Barbed wire fences
Even locals can sometimes be disoriented. 'On the left is Kyrgyzstan and on the right is Tajikistan, yes?' some passengers asked as Yusupov's bus pulled away from Vorukh, a Tajik exclave the size of Paris. Linking Vorukh to the rest of Tajikistan, his bus travels along a neutral road that passes through Kyrgyz territory but does not stop there.
'Over the past 30 years, we have had several conflicts with the Tajiks,' said Raykhan Isakova, who lives in the neighboring Kyrgyz village of Kapchygay. 'It was very violent, we suffered heavy losses. All the houses were destroyed,' the 60 year-old said of the fighting in 2022. 'But thanks to the authorities, we started again from scratch, houses were built,' she added.
When AFP visited the village in 2022, it stood in ruins. Three years later, it is unrecognizable, completely rebuilt — unlike some other places. Although peace has returned, AFP journalists who were given rare access to both sides of the border, saw a heavy military presence. Fences stood where crossing the street used to mean entering a different country.
Locals say erecting a physical border will help bring security. 'Once the barbed wire is up, the borders will be defined and everyone will be at home. People will know that Tajikistan starts here and Kyrgyzstan there,' said Shamshidin Kattabekov, 42, from the Kyrgyz border village of Aksai. Meanwhile, official checkpoints have reopened for the first time in four years. 'I am happy that the border has reopened so that I can come and see my family,' said Aitgul Khojamberdieva, a 58-year-old Tajik citizen. 'My mother and uncle died when the border was closed and we couldn't go' to the funeral, she told AFP.
'Eternal friendship'
The reconciliation between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan was achieved without mediation from Russia, a rare feat in the post-Soviet space that Moscow still considers its own backyard. The three presidents sealed the border deals with a pact of 'eternal friendship' earlier this year. Huge portraits of the smiling leaders are on display in Tajikistan and a giant friendship monument has also been erected where the three countries meet.
'Once the border work is finished, we believe that peace will reign,' said Ashyrali Erkebayev, head of a community of Kyrgyz border municipalities. So far, the agreements have led to territory swaps, sections of road declared neutral and guarantees to ensure unhindered access to energy infrastructure.
But locals are still concerned about how an agreement to share water more equitably will work — a crucial challenge given how exposed the region is to climate change. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have agreed a deal for access to the Tortkul reservoir, the only source of fresh water in the area, located in Kyrgyzstan. 'Water for crops is a problem,' said Isakova, a farmer. 'There was a pipe before which went to Tajikistan,' she added. 'Everybody just made a hole and took water from there.' — Reuters
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