Disenfranchised Youth?

At the end of this New York Times video, the reporter briefly mentions that an altercation in an Osh casino may have triggered the ensuing riots in the city.  Really?  A bar fight?  Whatever the cause, the situation has spiraled out of control, and has spread to nearby Jalalabad.  Roza Otunbayeva has asked Russia for military support to quell the chaos, but Russia does not seem to want to get involved and will make a decision on Monday.  It’s interesting that Russia considers Kyrgyzstan within their “sphere of influence” for most matters, yet they are slow to respond to what Russian officials call an “internal matter” in Kyrgyzstan.  Update: Apparently Russia is sending troops – to “reinforce the defense of Russian military facilities and ensure security of Russian military servicemen and their families.” Update again: Apparently Russia is just sending troops to reinforce their own military base – hundreds of miles from Osh.

An alarming similarity between the situation in the south and the April 7^th revolution in Bishkek is the sheer youth of both movements.  Accounts of the situation in Osh report gangs of young men as the key players in perpetuating the violence.  As seen on YouTube, the April 7^th revolution was also overwhelmingly comprised of young men (typically 20-somethings).

So what is the reason for all of these young men taking up arms and attacking their own countrymen?  I certainly don’t have the answer, but I can speculate that there are a variety of factors in play.  Ethnic tension has been cited as the primary motivating factor, but I think that careless journalists have ignored the greater complexity of the situation.

Under Bakiev’s regime, Kyrgyzstan became increasingly impoverished, as most of the country’s money was stolen and funneled to Bakiev’s family’s personal interests.  Not surprisingly, there is a huge amount of distrust of the government, in addition to widespread poverty, a high level of unemployment, an ineffective education system and general disillusionment.  Perhaps these young men want to be part of a larger movement, or perhaps they are merely acting out on impetuous, youthful impulses that have spiraled out of control.  Or maybe it is simply that they are getting paid to stir up violence.

Interestingly, in a Lysistrata-esque moment, Roza Otunbayeva issued a statement requesting the women of Kyrgyzstan to persuade their men to stop acting out.  I guess it can’t hurt to ask, and maybe this approach will prove more effective than the reluctant Russian army.

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Instability

My plans to watch the opening match of the World Cup at Metro Pub last night were derailed as we heard reports about increasing violence in the southern city of Osh.  Although Bishkek remains quiet and peaceful, it was recommended that we stay in for the next couple of evenings to be on the safe side.

There are numerous news accounts of the violence and rioting taking place in Osh, but it is difficult to get a clear idea of what is really going on.  Currently more than 60 are dead and more than 800 are injured, and many buildings have been burned and looted.  Osh is Kyrgyzstan’s second largest city, and is home to more than 80 ethnic groups.  It is located in the fertile Ferghana Valley, which also spills over into neighboring Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Historically, unrest and violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks have plagued the Ferghana Valley.  News sources claim ethnic tension as the root cause of the current violence, and there are accounts describing gangs of young ethnic Kyrgyz men attacking ethnic Uzbeks and terrorizing Uzbek neighborhoods in Osh.  The government of Kyrgyzstan issued a state of emergency and has sent military support to the south, but I have heard that the situation still remains chaotic and volatile.

Why are ethnic tensions flaring up right now?  It is hard to get unbiased, uncensored and reliable news throughout Kyrgyzstan, but there is speculation that Bakiev is paying young men to stir up trouble in the south.  His goal is to perhaps demonstrate the futility and impotence of the interim government in dealing with this difficult situation.  Bakiev, the ousted former president of Kyrgyzstan, hails from the south of the country and claims (from his presumably comfortable abode in Belarus) that he still has many supporters in the south.  The current political instability and power vacuum only serve to further exacerbate preexisting tensions.  Hopefully order will be restored quickly, and Roza Otunbayeva and the interim government will be able to maintain some semblance of control and legitimacy.

Building burned down during the April 7th revolution in Bishkek

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Forty Day Warning?

Monday, May 17^th, marked 40 days after the violent revolution on April 7^th that claimed the lives of 81 people in Bishkek.  In the Muslim faith, this 40-day time period is significant because it demarcates an end to the mourning period.  On the days leading up to this 40-day anniversary, reports swirled around the country that potentially violent demonstrations would take place in Bishkek and other cities throughout Kyrgyzstan to avenge for lives lost on April 7^th.  At this time I had just recently arrived in Bishkek, and my organization imposed a “recommended” curfew of 7pm.  So I didn’t get a chance to experience the Bishkek nightlife that weekend, but I did get a brief sense of how aid workers in war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan are forced to live.  Restricting your movement is not fun, and being able to move about freely without threat of harm is something that most of us take for granted.

After all of the build-up leading up to May 17^th, no violent demonstrations occurred on that day.  Instead, many Kyrgyz peacefully gathered in Bishkek’s main square to memorialize the loss of loved ones.  Life seemed to go on, like any other day.  However, during this time there were violent incidents in the south of the country – the local governments of Osh and Jalabad were taken over by protestors, only to be quickly reclaimed by the ruling opposition party.

The question is –  what is really going on in the south?  I’m not entirely sure, but there has been a variety of speculation:  Bakiev is paying people to support him in the south; Bakiev’s son, Maxim, is somehow involved and finagling the situation; and ethnic clashes between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz are taking place.  More to come…

Gate to Bishkek's White House

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