Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan said on Sunday that nearly 100 people had died in their border conflict, as a fragile ceasefire between the Central Asian countries extended for a second day and their mutual ally Russia called for a de-escalation.
The former Soviet republics clashed over a border dispute from September 14 to 16, accusing each other of using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery and attack drones to attack outposts and nearby settlements.
Both countries share a border with China, while Tajikistan also shares a long border with Afghanistan.
Large sections of the border separating the two former Soviet states are disputed. Clashes in April 2021 left more than 50 dead and raised the prospect of a wider conflict.
Central Asia’s border issues stem largely from the Soviet era, when Moscow tried to divide the region between groups often settled among other ethnicities.
Kyrgyzstan late Sunday reported an additional 13 deaths from the fighting, increasing the previous toll of 46. The former Soviet state also reported 102 people wounded.
Earlier, Kyrgyzstan said it had evacuated about 137,000 people from the conflict zone. The government declared Monday a day of mourning for the victims.
Kyrgyz media, which has called the conflict an invasion, reported Sunday that some of the displaced have already begun to return to their homes.
Tajikistan on Sunday said 35 people had been killed. It has not reported mass evacuations.
Tajikistan’s foreign ministry said Kyrgyzstan continued its media campaign against it and noted that Kyrgyz President Sadir Dzaparov used the term “enemy” to refer to Tajikistan in a speech on Saturday.
The two sides agreed on September 16 to a ceasefire, which has largely been maintained despite several alleged shelling incidents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Japarov and veteran Tajik President Emmali Rahmon on Sunday, the Kremlin said.
Putin urged the sides to prevent further escalation and take steps to resolve the situation “exclusively through peaceful, political and diplomatic means as soon as possible,” offering help, his office said in a statement.
