Border conflict – At least 36 killed in fighting in Kyrgyzstan

Shortly afterwards, the two sides accused each other of violating the agreement. The Tajik Ministry of the Interior announced on Saturday that several civilians had been killed on its territory. It gave no specific numbers.

Tens of thousands evacuated
According to the Kyrgyz authorities, tens of thousands of people have been removed from the conflict area as a precaution. There have been no new hostilities since Saturday night. The night was “quiet and without incident”, the situation seems to calm down again.

The two former Soviet republics originally agreed on a ceasefire on Friday. In recent years, there have been repeated conflicts at the border. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are part of the Russian-led military alliance, the Collective Security Treaty (CSTO), and share a 970-kilometer border, nearly half of which is disputed.

As a rule, each state blames the other party for violent conflict. Negotiations have not progressed for years. This time, the fighting is fueling fears of another conflict escalating violently.

Putin called for de-escalation
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke to both presidents by phone on Sunday, has already contributed. He called on them to prevent “further escalation”. Both countries must take action to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, “only through a peaceful, political and diplomatic channel”.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin warned against travel to the affected areas. In the Batken and Sughd regions, fighting and gunfire “cannot be ruled out,” it said.