DUSHANBE, January 7, 2013, Asia-Plus – An article “Clash along Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border” by Bruce Pannier posted on Radio Liberty’s website notes that tensions between the main ethnic groups of the Ferghana Valley flared again over the weekend, bringing up memories of ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in June 2010 that left hundreds dead, thousands wounded and caused widespread property damage.
Residents of the Uzbek enclave of Soh, in southern Kyrgyzstan, reportedly attacked Kyrgyz border guards and took Kyrgyz citizens hostage.
The incident started during the afternoon of January 5 when Kyrgyz border guards were overseeing the installation of power lines to the newly constructed border post near the village of Charbak.
Residents of the Soh enclave village of Hoshyar reportedly attacked the guards and the post. Kyrgyz border guards fired into the air to disperse them.
On January 6, a group of residents from Soh returned and took six residents of the village of Charbak back into Soh as hostages.
At least seven others were captured while driving through the Uzbek enclave when the unrest broke out.
Russia”s Interfax news agency cited witnesses to the events as saying, “At the start there were more than 100 people (Uzbek citizens) but their numbers grew…”
Kyrgyzstan”s newspaper
Vecherny Bishkek
early January 7 reported the crowd eventually numbered more than 1,000 people.
The Uzbek citizens reportedly tried to seize weapons from the Kyrgyz border guards. AKIpress reported several Kyrgyz border guards were injured in the clashes.
The same witnesses said the Uzbek citizens “threw stones at the guard post, broke windows and seized more than a dozen vehicles of Kyrgyz citizens and took the passengers hostage.” At least four vehicles belonging to Kyrgyz citizens were reported torched and a bus with Kyrgyz citizens that was passing through Soh at the time was vandalized and its passengers taken hostage.
Russian news agency Interfax reported 13 hostages were being kept at the hospital in Hoshyar.
The newspaper
Vecherny Bishkek
reported on January 6 there was an exchange of fire between
Kyrgyzstan border guards fired at the Uzbek citizens and wounded at least three of them.
Other unnamed witnesses deny the Kyrgyz guards fired their weapons.
Some reports claimed local Kyrgyz residents were massing and demanding Kyrgyz border guards allow them to pass into Soh.
Talks between local Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials to defuse the situation were reportedly being held.
Uzbekistan”s Soh enclave has reportedly aggravated ties between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for more than a decade. The enclave is surrounded by Kyrgyzstan”s southern Batken Province, one of the most undeveloped regions in Kyrgyzstan.
The Soviet-era main road connecting Osh to the town of Batken runs through Soh.
Uzbekistan severely restricts passage through the enclave, leaving many drivers to take their chances on poorly marked, often unpaved paths used as detours.
The population of Hoshyar is mainly ethnic Tajik, which is generally true of residents throughout the Soh enclave.
Since the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan staged attacks in southern Kyrgyzstan in 1999, Uzbek authorities have bolstered the military presence in Soh. The soldiers are mainly ethnic Uzbeks.
An incident at Soh comes after Uzbek border guards shot dead a Kyrgyz citizen along the two countries regular border on January 4.
Uzbek border guards said the man was a smuggler but Kyrgyz border guards released a statement saying it was “not the first time…an unarmed citizen of Kyrgyzstan” was killed by Uzbek guards along the border.
Uzbek border guards have reportedly also closed the road at Aydarken (Uzbek – Haydarken), again forcing motorists on the road between Soh and Batken to resort to detours.
