Tensions in Kyrgyzstan
In April 2010 the President of Kyrgyzstan was overthrown by a street-led revolution. Ethnic clashes between groups of young people erupted in May with violent riots in the South leaving hundreds dead, thousands injured and forcing half a million to flee their homes. Raya Kadyrova, Director of the Foundation for Tolerance International, talks about the role of her organization.
Building trust
The conflict in Kyrgyzstan is not only an ethnic clash between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, but it is also a political conflict between supporters of the overthrown president and the new interim government as well as a religious conflict between moderate and radical muslims. Over the last ten years, the
Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI) has managed to build a great deal of trust with all these different parties by working together on concrete projects. "That trust is still there", emphasizes Raya Kadyrova. "For example, we are one of the few organizations who actually visit Uzbek villages. We found Uzbek leaders prepared to calm down young Uzbeks at the end of May."
Ethnic clashes
In spite of our efforts, violence erupted on 10 June leaving many killed and injured. "Has our reconciliation work been in vain? As NGOs we are powerless. The whole state system failed. The central government lost all control over the South. It was extremely dangerous for the people in our Early Warning System to report news of the latest developments. However, as we are still in the middle of the post-conflict process, it is too early yet to reflect on concrete lessons learned."
Kadyrova values the support from the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). She received more than 100 e-mails with similar experiences from GPPAC-members. "We were the first to put the conflict on the map, with the help of a GPPAC employee, by asking Uzbeks and Kyrgyz at grassroots level about causes, rumours and recommendations. [links naar pdf's]."
Elections
Kadyrova is afraid that the elections on 10 October 2010 will cause tensions to erupt again into violence. FTI has advised the government to establish a national Committee of Civil Reconciliation. "We are now identifying members for such a Committee who have an eye for ethnic, religious as well as political tensions, which enables them to prevent violence."
Written by Global Village Media / Margreet van der Hel.
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