About 175 people, including about 150 Uzbek nationals and 25 Kyrgyz nationals, have reportedly been injured as fresh clashes have erupted along the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border.
The press center of the National Security Service of Uzbekistan says senior officials of both countries have met at a border checkpoint in the area to discuss issues related to resolving the situation.
The Kyrgyz government’s press service says that Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Kubatbek Boronov and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov met at a border checkpoint in the area on June 1 to discuss ways to resolve the tensions.
The situation is currently under control and adequate measures have reportedly been taken to eliminate the causes and consequences of the clash.
The local authorities of the two countries have decided to conduct a joint patrol in a disputed border area.
According to unconfirmed data, twelve Uzbek nationals are in serious condition. Many of those who sustained minor injuries have got assistance on the spot.
The Health Ministry of Kyrgyzstan says 25 Kyrgyz nationals were injured in the clashes. Four of the injured people are reportedly hospitalized at the town of Aidarken, with two in very serious condition after surgery. The remaining 21 people were sent for outpatient treatment after providing first aid.
The clashes reportedly erupted at around 12:30 on May 31 after residents of the Kyrgyz village of Chechme and residents of the Uzbek village of Chashma argued about the ownership of a spring located in the area.
Radio Liberty correspondents reported from the scene that the villagers started throwing stones at each other before several houses on each side were set on fire.
The Sokh district of Uzbekistan’s Fergana region is an exclave of Uzbekistan, surrounded by Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Ravon. Another village in the district is Limbur. It is noted that despite being a part of Uzbekistani territory and being surrounded by Kyrgyzstan, its population is mostly Tajik.
The territory of Sokh is divided into two parts, separated by Kyrgyzstan: northern Sokh (or lower Sokh), including the town of Chon-Qora; and southern Sokh (or upper Sokh), which is much more extensive than northern Sokh.
According to some sources, the area encompasses nineteen localities with an urban population of 65.9 percent and a rural population of 34.1 percent. It is 99 percent Tajik, 0.7 percent Kyrgyz and 0.3 percent Uzbek.
The exclave's name comes from the Sokh River, 124 kilometers long, which crosses the territory and waters its fertile valley. The exclave is surrounded by the Kyrgyz province of Batken. Sokh's border is 135 kilometers long, with nine border posts guarded by Kyrgyzstan.
