Civil War in Tajikistan

A brutal civil war rarely discussed outside of the former-Soviet Union, the civil war that occurred in Tajikistan claimed up to 100,000 casualties over the course of five years. Both liberal reformists and Islamists joined together to fight against the ruling elite under the banner of the United Tajik Opposition. Opposition to the government had grown so strong in Dushanbe (the capital of Tajikistan) in 1992 that protesters, at gun point, forced the president to resign. The civil war that ensued was the most deadly of all civil wars in the former Soviet states.

Militias across the country began to form after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Regions like Leninabad and Kulyab, where most of Tajikistan's leaders reigned from, tried to retain power but via popular uprising, they were losing support quickly. Several armed militias began gaining support from foreign militias, especially from those based in the rural regions of Afghanistan come 1992. Russian and Uzbek troops began pouring into Tajikistan to aid the secular, ex-soviet government. Fighting only grew worse as time went on.

Around 93% of Tajikistan is mountainous. Therefore, militants have plenty of places to hide and because the country is divided up because of these mountain ranges, it isn't uncommon for certain regions to be more culturally and economically tied to one of the numerous neighboring countries than other regions within Tajikistan. Leninabad is the industrial heart of Tajikistan and thus it makes sense that most leaders reign from there. Most militants, as can be expected, came from conservative and poor regions such as Garm, where most people live off the land.

Other militants also hailed from not only Afghanistan but Uzbekistan, where Islamists lost a war there to topple Uzbekistan's authoritarian government. Fighting was even waged in the capital of Dushanbe against Russian, Tajik government, Uzbek forces by militants. Warlords and other political factions control many of the regions outside Dushanbe. While some regions are within complete control of opposition factions till today, others are controlled only by night by opposition forces.

Though a treaty in Moscow was signed by all sides formally ending the five year civil war, sporadic fighting does occur in the countryside. Opposition groups still try to launch attacks, though now only against Russian troops and other countries that border Tajikistan such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The stalemate that was left by the signing of the treaty has calmed down the region significantly, which considering the region's history as a crossroads between the Middle East, Asia, and Europe and as being an authoritarian state, is something most other states in the region can only be envious of. However, the fighting left 100,000 dead, making it the worst civil war in Central Asia's history.

Works Cited

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"Tajikistan: Opposition Warns It May Not Sign Peace Accord - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2009." Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - Free Media in Unfree Societies. 21 June 2009 .

"Tajikistan: rising from the ashes of civil war." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. 21 June 2009 .