BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have reached an agreement to resolve a long-running border dispute that has fueled violent clashes over the years, resulting in the deaths of more than a hundred people.
Top security officials from both nations signed a deal finalizing the demarcation of more than 970 kilometers (600 miles) of shared border. The agreement, which addresses contentious areas, now awaits approval from the presidents of both countries.
Border disputes in Central Asia date back to the Soviet era when borders were drawn to align with ethnic territories. However, these demarcations often left minority communities on the opposite side of the border from their ethnic groups, fueling tensions.
Tensions along the border have led to deadly skirmishes, with two days of fighting in September 2022 leaving over 100 dead and forcing around 140,000 residents to evacuate. A previous outbreak of violence in April 2021 resulted in at least 20 deaths and more than 200 injuries.
Both Kyrgyzstan, with a population of over seven million, and Tajikistan, home to about 10 million people, maintain close ties with Russia and host Russian military bases. The region remains one of the poorest and most volatile in Central Asia. Tajikistan, in particular, experienced a devastating civil war in the 1990s, which left tens of thousands dead as Russian-backed government forces fought Islamist and other factions.
