copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-04-22): In the mid-fifties, the construction of the Tortkul reservoir and the Tortkul canal was projected. In some places the channel of the canal had to pass through the territory of the Isfara region of the Tajik SSR. [...] For unknown reasons and according to the results of the commission's work, it was proposed to transfer several thousand hectares of the territory belonging to the Isfara region to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. In return, the Kyrgyz side was supposed to use the Tortkul reservoir as an inter-republican one and assist in the irrigation of about 3.5 thousand hectares of land in the Isfara region. Nevertheless, this parity commission's protocol could not acquire legal force because the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Tajik SSR did not ratify it and rejected the document. [...] Following the results of their trip, the deputy group additionally studied all the available archival documents in Moscow and presented a conclusion confirming the legal rightness of the Tajik side on the restoration of territorial justice in the division of territory between the Tajik SSR and the Kyrgyz SSR. Moreover, the proposal confirmed that Vorukh was never an enclave and historically related to Isfara region on the territory belonging to the Tajik side.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-03): Isfara is a small yet historical city located in the Sughd Province in northeastern Tajikistan, near the borders with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The city is nestled in the fertile Fergana Valley, ensconced amidst rolling hills and lush landscapes that typify the region. With history stretching back to the 10th century, Isfara boasts several ancient structures, mosques, and madrassas that reflect its cultural and religious heritage. The Isfara River flows through the city, contributing to the extensive agricultural activities that drive its economy, with the area particularly known for its fruit orchards. Traditional crafts and bazaars, offering colorful textiles and regional produce, make Isfara a locale of rich cultural traditions and local commerce. Notably, the Chorkuh neighborhood is famed for its apricot orchards and an ancient mosque, one of the oldest in Tajikistan. Isfara's ethnic diversity adds to its charm, with a blend of Tajik, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz communities coexisting peacefully. Despite its small size, the city is significant in terms of cultural heritage and as a hub for cross-border trade in the region.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-07-31): Isfara (Tajik: Исфара Persian: اسفره; Russian: Исфара) is a city in Sughd Region in northern Tajikistan, situated on the border with Kyrgyzstan. The city was the seat of the former Isfara District. There are currently territorial disputes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan over the area of Isfara Valley.[3] [...] Isfara is situated near the border junction of three independent states Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, at a height of 863m above sea level. The river Isfara flows through the city. Its territory is 832 km2.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-01-12): Social tensions grew particularly in Isfara district of northern Tajikistan and in Vorukh, an enclave of 30,000 people in the middle of Kyrgyzstan. When private land ownership was introduced in Kyrgyzstan, some rented Tajik pastures were declared Kyrgyz citizens’ property. Gulhumar Zulpukarova, a pensioner from Ak-Sai, a borderland village in the Isfara valley, told The Third Pole that she fled to Kyrgyzstan’s Batken region in 2019 "due to Tajik attacks". She said shepherds from Kyrgyzstan have stopped Tajiks from grazing cattle in recent years, as relations have worsened. [...] There are also ways to minimise the likelihood of conflict over resources. Kurbonali Partoev, an academic at the Tajik Academy of Science’s Institute of Botanics, pointed out that "the harvest of fruit, grain, vegetable and fodder crops here [the Isfara region of Tajikistan] is good. In order to economise water, it would be useful to install drip irrigation or to use rainwater-collection systems. In order to maintain soil fertility, crop rotation is important. New types of crops and new methods of growing them could be employed."
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-12-24): This map depicts exclaves and contested lands in the Ferghana Valley as an archipelago of disconnected islands in a sea of sovereign territory. While Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are some of the most landlocked states on the contemporary world map—far from any body of water—movement to, from, and within these places is heavily restricted by different state actors. Inhabitants of Chon-Qora, Isfara, Sarvan, Shakhimardan, Sokh, and Vorukh experience these territories as islands within a sea of monopolistic sovereignty, the global norm. [...] The foreground and background of this collage depicts a group of Uzbek soldiers surveying a territorial enclave within Ferghana Valley. Images of Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Tajik citizens have been placed in a river of liminal space between the background and foreground elements. A river was chosen because surface water is the dominant water source for those living in Ferghana Valley. The river and citizens contained therein symbolize the precarious status imposed on inhabitants of contested territories by multiple sovereign states. Unlike the citizens nebulously floating in the unmarked river, the group of Uzbek soldiers occupy solid ground as enforcers of state sovereignty enabled to enact Weberian legitimate authority through violence. [...] Drake, Carolyn. 2009. Ferghana Valley, Isfara, Tajikistan. Bread is one the few fresh products in abundant supply at the central market. https://library.artstor.org/asset/APANOSIG_10313568121
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-04): On September 14th, presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Sadyr Japarov and Emomali Rahmon met at the United Nations General Assembly to discuss ending the border dispute between the two countries. However, tensions increased after Kamchybek Tashiev, the head of the Kyrgyz National Security Committee, opposed the talks, asking Tajikistan to end its claims to land near the border. "If [Tajikistan] does not give up its territorial claims, then we will advance our own claims. We have both the strength and the ability to do this," Tashiev reportedly said. [...] Most of the disputed territory is located in the Ferghana Valley, a region which includes Vorukh and Kayragach – two exclaves of Tajikistan surrounded by Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz-Tajik border was created in 1929 when the countries were part of the Soviet Union, and the exclaves were made due to having a large Tajik population. After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, part of the border was not defined, and this has caused disputes between the two countries for over 30 years. Border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan occurred in 2021 due to Kyrgyzstan not having enough access to the region’s water resources, including the important Golovnoi Water Intake Facility. The Facility takes water from Tajikistan’s Isfara River and sends the water to Kyrgyzstan, where farmers use it to irrigate land. Eurasianet reported Tajikistan has not allowed Kyrgyzstan to make repairs to the Facility due to concerns this would give Kyrgyzstan grounds to claim control.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-08-01): Democratic Party of Tajikistan or DPT [Saidjafar USMONZODA] [...] Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan: disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan; in May 2021, both countries agreed to a ceasefire following recent clashes at their border [...] Tajikistan is a primary transit country along the "Northern Route" for Afghanistan-sourced opiates and cannabis for the Russian and Eastern European markets and beyond; minimal domestic recreational drug use though it is increasing
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-06-09): In the volatile region of the Ferghana valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan converge (see map below), violent confrontations between locals and state forces have been a longstanding concern. Disputes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are particularly frequent as almost half of the 971-kilometer-long border territory remains contested, creating challenges for local populations hoping to address infrastructural and economic issues in the region. Disagreements over the connection of Tajikistan’s fertile Vorukh exclave to the mainland only adds to the disorder. [...] Violence has also broken out over access from the Vorukh exclave to the Isfara region in Tajikistan, and the connection of Kyrgyz villages around the Vorukh exclave to the Kyrgyz district of Batken (labeled on map above). Currently, Kyrgyz residents must pass through Tajikistan’s Isfara region to connect to Batken, while Vorukh residents use the only road to Isfara passing through Kyrgyz territory.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-12-31): history: several previous; latest adopted 6 November 1994 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by at least one-third of the total membership of both houses of the Supreme Assembly; adoption of any amendment requires a referendum, which includes approval by the president or approval by at least at least two-thirds of the Assembly of Representatives membership; passage in a referendum requires participation of an absolute majority of eligible voters and an absolute majority of votes; note – constitutional articles including Tajikistan’s form of government, its territory, and its democratic nature cannot be amended; amended several times, last in 2016 (2017) [...] Democratic Party of Tajikistan or DPT [SaidjafFar USMONZODA] [...] Youth for the Revival of Tajikistan [Maqsud IBROHIMOV - jailed in 2015] (banned)
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-07-04): Democratic Party of Tajikistan or DPT [Saidjafar USMONZODA] [...] Tajikistan is a poor, mountainous country with an economy dominated by minerals extraction, metals processing, agriculture, and reliance on remittances from citizens working abroad. Mineral resources include silver, gold, uranium, antimony, tungsten, and coal. Industry consists mainly of small obsolete factories in food processing and light industry, substantial hydropower facilities, and a large aluminum plant - currently operating well below its capacity. The 1992-97 civil war severely damaged an already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Today, Tajikistan is the poorest among the former Soviet republics. Because less than 7% of the land area is arable and cotton is the predominant crop, Tajikistan imports approximately 70% of its food. [...] Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan: disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan; in May 2021, both countries agreed to a ceasefire following recent clashes at their border
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-05-04): Fighting erupted on April 28 after a scuffle between Kyrgyz and Tajik civilians over a Tajik attempt to install a surveillance camera at the Isfara River’s Golovnoy pumping station following a Kyrgyz repair. Both countries claim ownership of the station and a reservoir, which provide water for tens of thousands of hectares of land. [...] In this heavily populated area of Central Asia, ethnic Kyrgyz and Tajiks have skirmished for decades over water and territory in the Isfara Valley, but without massive losses of life and property. Villagers interviewed in the two countries’ border regions of Batken (Kyrgyzstan) and Sughd (Tajikistan) said that they had expected this time to be no different. [...] Local officials also do not "enjoy the full measure of power that the central authorities [in Bishkek and Dushanbe] can give them," objected Temur Umarov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2010-11-21): In Tajikistan, regional police departments like the one in Chorkuh would usually serve an entire district. But this town, located in northern Sughd Province's Isfara District, is an exception, with 60 officers stationed there. [...] Isfara is located in the heart of the volatile Ferghana Valley, the most densely populated and religiously conservative area of Central Asia that straddles the borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The valley has become the scene of a number of violent conflicts since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Officials have warned any violence or militant activity in Isfara could easily spread throughout the region. In fact, there are no clear borders between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in Isfara District. On our way from the provincial center Khujand to Chorkuh, we crossed into southern Kyrgyz territory at least six times. At one point, we even saw a campaign billboard for a Kyrgyz political party, still standing a month after the country's first parliamentary elections.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-09-22): But while tensions in the region are not new, the scale of military force over the last two years marks a significant and worrying escalation in violence. The first large-scale escalation of the conflict took place on April 28, 2021, when the two parties clashed over Tajikistan’s decision to install video surveillance near the Ak-Suu/Isfara River. The exchange grew into an unprecedented military action, killing 36, wounding hundreds, and displacing 58,000 people on the Kyrgyz side. The Tajik government claimed 19 dead among civilians and servicemen and 87 wounded. This was a dramatic escalation in the nature of tensions between the two countries. [...] Yet, as any contemporary society, Tajiks are relatively fragmented, too. Does the creation of an external enemy, such as Kyrgyzstan, facilitate for Rahmon the transition of power and the successful continuation of family rule? Or does the Tajik regime seek to force the border resolution in its favor by military means? Is this about a land grab to allow the creation of a corridor between Isfara and the Vorukh exclave, while the international community is busy with Ukraine? Other suggestions point to the complex political economy of border zones, which include lucrative smuggling of goods, fuel, and drugs. Many questions remain open.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-07-14): BACKGROUND: In late April 2021, fighting broke out along the frontier between Kyrgyzstan’s Batken province and Tajikistan’s Sughd province. The immediate dispute arose over management of the Golovnoy water distribution facility separating what the Kyrgyz call the Ak-suu and the Tajiks refer to as the Isfara River. As in the past, local residents threw rocks and employed some small arms and light weapons. On this occasion, though, the fighting soon escalated to engage professional military forces. As a result, dozens died, hundreds were wounded, and thousands fled to other locations before a ceasefire took effect on May 1. From one perspective, the fighting arose due to long-unresolved tensions over demarcation and demography. Local competition for arable land and water has been worsened by the artificial borders created by the previous Soviet authorities, which complicate the management of trans-border resources. The Fergana Valley – which includes parts of northern Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, and eastern Uzbekistan – is particularly replete with ethnic exclaves, in which the nationals of one Central Asian republic are enveloped by the territory of a neighboring country. Of note, more than one-third of the 972km-long state boundary between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan remains to be demarcated.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-08-18): Isfara River Rock-throwing Escalated 4 May 2021 by The Water Diplomat [...] The recent incident arose over the "ownership" of the reservoir and pumping station at the Isfara River and the installation of surveillance equipment that has since been removed. [...] "On the whole, neither Kyrgyzstan nor Tajikistan is ready to address the border issues. Border regions in both countries are socially and economically depressed. The Fergana Valley lacks agricultural resources - land and especially water. This is why land and water have become the main cause of all conflicts," the expert noted.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-05-01): The clashes broke out this week along the frontier between Tajikistan’s Sughd province and Kyrgyzstan’s southern Batken province because of a dispute over a reservoir and pump, claimed by both sides, on the Isfara River. [...] On Saturday, the AFP news agency said its correspondent in Batken was unable to reach the conflict area because Kyrgyz men holding stones were turning back cars on a road lined by Kyrgyz soldiers between the village of Min-Bulak and the town of Isfana. [...] Border disagreements between the three countries that share the fertile Fergana Valley – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – stem from demarcations made during the Soviet era.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Tajikistan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-01): Of the 971-kilometre border dividing Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, only 519 kilometers have been officially agreed upon.[28] The disputed sections that separate the two states run through Kyrgyzstan’s Batken and Tajikistan’s Sughd provinces. There are also two enclaves, the Tajik districts of Vorukh and Western Qalacha, which are located within the Batken region. These are the areas which see periodic conflict incidents involving civilians, security forces and state officials. More specifically, the southern part of Isfara district of the Sughd region (Chorkuh, Surkh, Shurab and Vorukh jamoats [29]) and the western part of the Batken region (Ak-Sai, Samarkandek and Ak-Tatyr municipalities) are the areas identified by observers as the most prone to inter-ethnic tensions.[30] [...] [48] Bichsel, Conflict Transformation in Central Asia; Jamoat Resource Centre of Vorukh, "Potential for Peace and Threats of Conflict: Development Analysis of Cross-border Communities in Isfara District of the Republic of Tajikistan and Batken District of the Kyrgyz Republic" (2011). [...] [71] Jamoat Resource Center of Vorukh, "Potential for Peace and Threats of Conflict: Development Analysis of Cross-border Communities in Isfara District of the Republic of Tajikistan and Batken District of the Kyrgyz Republic" (2011).
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-04-03): Isfara (Tajik: Исфара Persian: اسفره; Russian: Исфара) is a city in Sughd Region in northern Tajikistan, situated on the border with Kyrgyzstan. The city was the seat of the former Isfara District. There are currently territorial disputes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan over the area of Isfara Valley.[3] [...] Geography [edit]Isfara is situated near the border junction of three independent states Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, at a height of 863m above sea level. The river Isfara flows through the city. Its territory is 832 km2.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-07-14): BACKGROUND: In late April 2021, fighting broke out along the frontier between Kyrgyzstan’s Batken province and Tajikistan’s Sughd province. The immediate dispute arose over management of the Golovnoy water distribution facility separating what the Kyrgyz call the Ak-suu and the Tajiks refer to as the Isfara River. As in the past, local residents threw rocks and employed some small arms and light weapons. On this occasion, though, the fighting soon escalated to engage professional military forces. As a result, dozens died, hundreds were wounded, and thousands fled to other locations before a ceasefire took effect on May 1. From one perspective, the fighting arose due to long-unresolved tensions over demarcation and demography. Local competition for arable land and water has been worsened by the artificial borders created by the previous Soviet authorities, which complicate the management of trans-border resources. The Fergana Valley – which includes parts of northern Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, and eastern Uzbekistan – is particularly replete with ethnic exclaves, in which the nationals of one Central Asian republic are enveloped by the territory of a neighboring country. Of note, more than one-third of the 972km-long state boundary between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan remains to be demarcated.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-03-16): Isfara - Batken border post : Kyzyl Bel [...] The border post of the Kyrgyz Oblast Batken provides access to the territory of Tajikistan. It is located on the main road between the cities of Batken and Isfara to reach the Tajik city of Khojand or the main Kyrgyz city of Osh. The post is at the exit of the small Kyrgyz village of Kyzyl Bel, and crosses the small mountain range of Kingyradyr.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-08-18): This chapter studies processes of debordering and rebordering in Tajik-Kyrgyz border areas in the Isfara Valley. Based on studies conducted in the Tajik and Kyrgyz border zones in the period from 2016 to 2021, the authors explore the history of the borders in the region and describe the formation of borderlands with their own economies, systems of government, and languages. They also study the transformation of identity and perceptions of territoriality in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and a quantitative survey.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-04-22): For the first time the border between the Isfara region and the Batken region, at that time known as the Kara-Kyrgyz autonomous region within the Russian Federation, was determined by a decree of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Bolsheviks in 1924. Back then Vorukh was not an enclave, there was a direct open territory, a road, connecting Vorukh with the rest of the Isfara region. [...] The third legal document, defining the border between the Isfara and the Batken regions, was adopted by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR in 1947 while clarifying the discrepancies (variant readings) in determining a crossing line of the inter-republican border between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. According to the map, approved by the document and also referred to by the Main Directorate of Cartography (MCC) of the Soviet Union, Vorukh was not an enclave either and the entire territory around Vorukh, which currently belongs to our neighbors, was a part of the Tajik SSR. [...] For unknown reasons and according to the results of the commission's work, it was proposed to transfer several thousand hectares of the territory belonging to the Isfara region to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. In return, the Kyrgyz side was supposed to use the Tortkul reservoir as an inter-republican one and assist in the irrigation of about 3.5 thousand hectares of land in the Isfara region. Nevertheless, this parity commission's protocol could not acquire legal force because the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Tajik SSR did not ratify it and rejected the document.