CONFLICT OVER WATER HIGHLIGHTS KYRGYZ-TAJIK BORDER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000359

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/11/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL KG
SUBJECT: CONFLICT OVER WATER HIGHLIGHTS KYRGYZ-TAJIK BORDER
UNCERTAINTY

Ref: 07 Bishkek 833

BISHKEK 00000359 001.2 OF 002


Classified by CDA Lee Litzenberger for Reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: On March 27, approximately 150 Tajiks
reportedly crossed the border into Batken oblast to try to
open a dam and restore the flow of water to their fields.
While local officials resolved the immediate dispute, the
incident highlights continuing tensions over access to water
and border demarcation. On April 2, PolOffs met with MP Murat
Jurayev, a native of Batken oblast and the loudest voice in
parliament on the border issues with Tajikistan. Jurayev
outlined the sources of conflict along the Tajikistan-
Kyrgyzstan border and Tajikistan's Vorukh enclave, and
discussed a bill he has proposed to improve economic
conditions in hopes of reversing the Kyrgyzstani exodus from
Batken. End Summary.

Batken-Isfara Incident Highlights Resource Issue
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2. (SBU) A March 27 confrontation over access to water between
Tajikistan's Isfara district and Kyrgyzstan's Batken oblast
highlighted the tensions along the poorly demarcated border.
According to press reports, the incident began when
approximately 150 Tajiks crossed the border "accompanied by
law-enforcement personnel," according to the Kyrgyz Border
Service, with the intention of destroying a dam. The Tajiks
were reportedly upset that Kyrgyzstan had not discharged water
for irrigation to the Tajik side of the border for four days,
which Kyrgyz officials attributed to maintenance work on a
canal. Kyrgyz Border Guards claimed the Tajiks attacked them
while they attempted to film the incident, and left the scene
only after the Kyrgyz Border Guards began loading their
weapons. Leaders of Batken oblast and Isfara district
eventually came to an agreement to open the dam to discharge
water.

Tensions along the Border
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3. (C) Embassy PolOffs met April 2 with Member of Parliament
(MP) Murat Jurayev, a native of Batken, who discussed in
detail the problems along Kyrgyzstan's border with Tajikistan,
along the northern edge of Batken oblast. He said that over
the last three years there have been many problems along this
section of border, and he noted three incidents in particular:
a 2005 incursion by Tajik border guards and civilians to cut
down trees in Kok Tash, which left one Tajik dead after
ignoring Kyrgyzstani Border Guard warnings; a second incident
in which Tajik border guards stopped the Batken Governor's
vehicle and pointed their weapons at him; and third, the March
27 Tajik incursion.


4. (C) Jurayev said that the border disputes were due in large
part to multiple maps -- one from the mid-1920s, one from
1958, and another from 1983 -- each showing a different
border. Jurayev pointed out the two border areas with the
most problems: the westernmost tip of Kyrgyzstan near
Kulundu, where he claimed the Tajiks have occupied 2000
hectares of land; and the two miles of the Kyrgyz Isfara
valley that separates Tajikistan from the Tajik enclave at
Vorukh, and stretching north-northeast along the Tajik border
towards Tortkul reservoir. Jurayev categorized the situation
near the Vorukh enclave as "violent," with Tajiks occupying
the small stretch of land linking the enclave with Tajikistan
proper. Jurayev also claimed that the drug traffickers in the
northern part of Tajikistan were using their wealth to occupy
Kyrgyz land for their large estates.

Catch-22: Water Drives Both Occupation and Conflict
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5. (C) Jurayev opined that the undemarcated area along the
Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border benefits the Tajiks, and claimed
that the Tajik government is in no rush to solve this border
problem. He said that the Tajik side of the border is more
densely populated with better employment opportunities.
Across the border, Kyrgyz are leaving Batken due to high
unemployment and poor medical care, and illegally selling
their property to Tajiks. Jurayev pointed out that water
issues are at the root of both expansion and conflict. He
noted that when water is not discharged to meet the needs of
the Tajiks, the situation devolves into conflict, such as the
March 27 incident. However, he said, the distribution of
water from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan fuels growth for
Tajikistan, and leads to further expansion into Kyrgyz lands.

Party Politics, Ignorance Block Bill on Batken
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6. (C) Jurayev, a member of the centrist Social Democratic
Party, is the sponsor of a bill he hopes will improve economic
conditions in Batken and stem the exodus. He said the bill
was specifically aimed to provide incentives for Kyrgyz
citizens to remain in twelve villages, with provisions for
low-interest loans of $10,000 to help support families, a land
tax exemption, low rates for electricity (particularly for
industry),doubling of teacher and civil servant pay, and free
education at universities, particularly for those pursuing
careers in medicine and teaching. He added that those
receiving free education would then, upon return to Batken,
have to register monthly to show they are still residing and
working in Batken oblast. The bill, however, was rejected by
parliamentary review committees and is currently in revision;
he hopes to bring the bill forward again in May. Jurayev
blamed party politics and the fact that few politicians have
ever traveled to remote Batken province for the initial
rejection of the bill.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) Disputes over land and water between Kyrgyz and Tajiks
date back to the Soviet era, and the March 27 incident
highlights the continuing problems over border demarcation and
scarce resources. Disputed water rights also create tensions
between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and water is a potential
source of conflict in Central Asia. Batken officials and
civil society leaders have previously told us of neglect by
the central government, economic difficulties, concerns over
Tajik encroachment, and the need for better water management
(reftel). But resolving demarcation issues, agreeing on water
use, and improving economic conditions in Batken will not
happen soon. In the meantime, there are likely to be
additional similar incidents along the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan
border.

LITZENBERGER