Dozens killed in fighting on Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border

At least 24 people were killed in fighting on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on Friday evening, despite an agreed ceasefire. At least that is what the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health reports through Russian state news agencies. The Tajik authorities have not yet released any information about possible victims of the conflict. Kyrgyzstan says it has evacuated 136,000 civilians from the border area due to escalating tensions.

The fighting between the two countries started on Wednesday, but the exact reason for it is unclear. The ceasefire agreed earlier on Friday between the leaders of the two Central Asian countries went into effect at midnight. In the night from Friday to Saturday, the agreements appear to have been respected: neither side reported fighting or casualties.

The two neighboring countries, once united in the Soviet Union, have been regularly fighting each other since its disintegration. The last major escalation occurred in April 2021, believed to be over a dispute over the placement of cameras at a water reservoir that both countries claim is on their territory. At the time, at least 55 people were killed in fighting.