Kyrgyzstan says ceasefire after clashes with Tajikistan New border conflicts

The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said more than 160 people had been killed, 34 of them – 31 of them civilians.

Kyrgyzstan said a ceasefire was struck with Tajikistan on Sunday, accusing Central Asian residents of crimes in the most serious incidents the couple has had on the border in decades.

The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said more than 160 people had been killed, 34 of them – 31 of them civilians.

The ministry also said it has opened 11 criminal cases against citizens of Tajikistan, including those linked to violence, including the investigation into killings and illegal border crossings.

Clashes between land and water communities are a frequent conflict across the border, as border guards are often involved.

But that violence exploded on Thursday it was, most seriously, during the 30-year independence period of the former Soviet couple.

In Tajikistan, it is understood that the closed authoritarian state has also suffered casualties and damage, but has made far fewer statements about the conflict.

A ceasefire agreement was reached on Thursday afternoon, but Kyrgyzstan admitted that the two sides continued to fire on Friday and Saturday before the head of national security met to strengthen the ceasefire on Saturday afternoon.

Since then, “no shooting incidents have been reported,” a Kyrgyz national security commission spokesman told AFP by telephone at 11 a.m. GMT, saying the border was “calm, peaceful, quiet.”

The two national security leaders also agreed on a border protocol earlier on Sunday, the main website of the Kyrgyz government said, providing little details about the deal.

There was no immediate indication that progress was being made in limiting the disputed sections, which cover more than a third of the 971 km (604-mile) border between countries.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, who reported from Osh in Kyrgyzstan, said the situation in the area is “fairly stable”.

“We are hearing reports that the Tajik military has retreated across the border, [and] we know that there has been a great mobilization of the Kyrgyz army in that area, ”he said.

According to local authorities at these borders, “about 58,000 people were evacuated from the area, of whom 52,000 are reported to be women and children,” Stratford added.

Kyrgyzstan also on Sunday accused Tajikistan of kidnapping 10 people who were taken hostage in the conflict before being released on Saturday afternoon.

People, including the head of one of the border towns, were bruised after being “beaten with sticks” during the kidnapping, Kyrgyz Health Minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliyev said.

“They showed us their bruises. We put nine of them [in hospital], one went to look for his family, ”the minister said.

Russia and neighboring Uzbekistan, which maintains military bases in the country, said they were ready to mediate in the conflict.

The clashes erupted between Kyrgyz and Tajiks on Wednesday over a key part of the river’s infrastructure.