Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed a statement to end the armed confrontation on the border of the two countries. Bishkek and Dushanbe agreed to set up a bilateral working group to resolve the situation.
The conflict erupted on Thursday in the area of the water distribution point, the ownership of which is disputed by both states. After the clashes of local residents, border guards entered into a firefight. Both sides accuse each other of provocation. Armored vehicles and helicopters were used.
Kyrgyzstan reported 13 dead – both border guards and civilians. More than 2,700 people were evacuated from the confrontation zone.
This is far from the first conflict on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: the borders in this region run into a striped state, there are many enclaves. Countries have repeatedly set out to demarcate.