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Chaos and hope in Kyrgyzstan
jueves, mayo 27, 2010

Hilversum, 20.April.2010


Land seizures, clashes and a pervading sense of chaos have revived the Kyrgyz' worst fears. But where some fear civil war, others see an opportunity for democracy.


While ousted Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev is in Belarus, the interim government headed by Roza Otunbayeva is struggling to impose order on the country.

Fresh violence has erupted over disputed land close to the capital, Bishkek. Five people died in the clashes, more than 40 were injured, and the police claim they have arrested 130 rioters. The unrest, in which thousands of ethnic Kyrgyz seized land from Turks and ethnic Russians, suggests that the new government is still not fully in control. Furthermore, the incidents have fuelled fears of ethnic violence in the small Central Asian state.

But, not everyone sees it that way. "Land issues are a big problem in Kyrgyzstan, especially around Bishkek. I don't see ethnic issues being the motivator of the violence. These people are just seeing the opportunity of chaos to seize land," says Pepijn Trapman, a Dutch aid worker with ICCO, an NGO in Bishkek.

What's more important, Mr Trapman believes, is the current chaos and uncertainty in the country. "The minister of internal affairs, for example, has been replaced three times in the last 24 hours. The police officers and the army are demonstrating because they don't agree with the interim government, which appoints the minister. There's no governmental structure whatsoever, each ministry is appointing their own people."

The wild south
And then there's the situation in the south, where the government currently has no effective control. Supporters of Bakiyev, who seized power during the 2005 'Tulip Revolution', have been gathering to protest and distribute leaflets calling for the ousted president's return. While there hasn't been any significant violence, the situation has sparked fears of a civil war in the country, which hosts both US and Russian military bases.

"The question [of a civil war] is in everybody's minds, but I prefer to be more optimistic. I see everyone here looking for a way out, and everybody knows that a civil war is not a way to solve anything," says an optimistic Mr Trapman.

But the challenge of avoiding civil war and setting up an effective government is certainly a big one for a country with little experience with democracy. "This country has endured 70 years of [the] Soviet Union and then five more with Bakiyev, so this is a huge opportunity for the new government to guide Kyrgyzstan through a process of democracy."
posted by RicAngel @ 12:36  
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