copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-11): The Isfara is a river of the Syr Darya basin in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.[2] In its upper course, it is called Ak-Suu, in its middle course Karavshin.[1] It rises in the Batken Region of Kyrgyzstan. It is fed by the glaciers on the northern flank of the Turkestan Range. It initially flows in a western arc around a foothill chain. It then maintains its course in a northerly direction. It flows through the Tajik exclave of Vorukh. It later crosses the border into the Sughd Region of Tajikistan. There, it flows through the city of the same name in the southwest of the Ferghana Valley. 30 km (19 mi) further north, the river reaches the border with Uzbekistan at Rabot. The Isfara formed an alluvial cone north of Rabot. Today, the incoming river water is directed to the Great Fergana Canal to the northeast. The Isfara has a length of 130 km (81 mi). It drains an area of 3240 km2.[1] The river is mainly fed by meltwater from the glaciers and snowmelt.[1] 60% of the annual runoff occurs in the summer months from July to September.[1] Some of the river water is diverted for irrigation purposes.[1]
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (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 Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-06-09): Isfara is one of the most prosperous and beautiful cities of the Ferghana Valley of Tajikistan, in the basin of the colorful mountain ranges of Turkestan. A historic Silk Road city, it is now a hidden gem in the far northeast of Tajikistan. [...] Isfara is surrounded by high colorful mountains, each of which is a different country. To the city's south, all of the mountains are part of Kyrgyzstan; to the northeast, Uzbekistan; and to the northwest, Tajikistan. [...] Stay safe [edit]There are territorial disputes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan over the Isfara Valley. The city suffered from border clashes in September 2022. While the dangers from open warfare are practically zero, avoid going near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border out of precaution.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-01-26): - Located 750 kilometers (466.02 miles) from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and in the southwest of the country, the Batken region is located on the edge of the famous Fergana Valley in Central Asia. - Fergana Valley includes Fergana, Namangan, Andijan in Uzbekistan, Hocand in Tajikistan, Osh, Jalalabad and Batken in Kyrgyzstan. [...] - Covering 8.5% of Kyrgyzstan’s land, the region has agricultural, underground, water and energy resources, as well as oil and natural gas resources, albeit small.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (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. [...] Soronkulov said: "At that time, we researched the Ak-Suu river (which the Tajik call Isfarinka), which flows through the villages of Ak-Sai and Kok-Tash. This is a river which not only gives life to the fields, gardens and plots, but also to the peaceful co-existence of the Kyrgyz and Tajik peoples."
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-01): Despite the prevalence of works on the ‘discourses of danger’ in the Ferghana Valley, which re-invented post-Soviet Central Asia as a site of intervention, the literature on the conflict potential in the cross-border areas of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is fairly limited. Yet, the number of small-scale clashes and tensions on the borders of the Batken and Isfara regions has been growing steadily. Accordingly, this work seeks to contribute to the understanding of the conflict escalations in the area and identify factors that aggravate tensions between the communities. In particular, this article focuses on four variables, which exacerbate tensions and hinder the restoration of a peaceful social fabric in the Batken-Isfara region: the unresolved legacies of the Soviet past, inefficient use of natural resources, militarization of borders, and lack of evidence-based policymaking. [...] In 1924, after the initial Soviet national-territorial delimitation, the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) requested the Soviet central government to assign Isfara and Sokh administrative units to the Kyrgyz ASSR.[42] Based on the evaluation of inter-republican commissions, the central government rejected the petitions of the Kyrgyz ASSR and ruled that Isfara and Sokh would remain within the jurisdiction of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR).[43] Although the Soviet central government declared that national-territorial delimitation in the Ferghana Valley was "decisively settled," both the Kyrgyz ASSR and the Uzbek SSR disputed the final settlement.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (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 Kyrgyzstan (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. [...] Bendiksen, Jonas. 2002. Ferghana Valley, border between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. An Uzbek border patrol surveys one of the valley’s seven territorial enclaves. The myriad borders of the valley make it hard to control. https://library.artstor.org/asset/AMAGNUMIG_10311525580. [...] 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 Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (1996-01-01): International disputes: territorial dispute with Tajikistan on southwestern boundary in Isfara Valley area Climate: dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone [...] Overview: Kyrgyzstan is one of the smallest and poorest states of the former Soviet Union. Its economy is heavily agricultural, producing cotton and tobacco on irrigated land in the south, grain in the foothills of the north, and sheep and goats on mountain pastures. Its small and obsolescent industrial sector, concentrated around Bishkek, is heavily dependent on Russia and other CIS countries for customers and for inputs, including most of its fuel. Since 1990, the economy has contracted by almost 40%. Kyrgyzstan's inflation was high in 1993, about 23% per month, but rates were declining at the end of the year. Kyrgyzstan introduced its national currency, the som, in May 1993, it has privatized 28% of its former state assets, and plans call for a massive voucher privatization in 1994. Although Kyrgyzstan will receive relatively large flows of foreign aid, ongoing economic restructuring will continue to be painful with an anticipated increase in unemployment as uneconomic enterprises close. President AKAYEV will be under strong political pressure to backtrack on some reform measures.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (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 Kyrgyzstan (Isfara Valley, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-06-01): Isfara is located in Northern Tajikistan, in the Sughd region, next to the border with Kyrgyzstan. It belongs to the territorial dispute area between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan along the Isfara Valley and is also not far from the Uzbek border either. East from The town is between bigger cities like Khujand in Tajikistan, Kokand in Uzbekistan and Batken in Kyrgyzstan. South from Isfara you can also find the Vorukh enclave, a piece of Tajik land inside Kyrgyzstan that has been also the place of local clashes in 2019 and 2021. Apparently Tajiks were trying to establish a connection from Isfara to Vorukh but the situation in the area remains unclear. It is the perfect place to stop for a coffee or eating in one of the tea houses by the riverside if you are heading to Tajikistan from Kyrgyzstan or vice versa (if the border is open). This is actually the reason of arrival for the majority of travelers reaching Isfara, they are on their way between Osh and Khujand as the road from Isfara continues east to Batken and then to Osh. This all said, the Isfara area has a lot to offer for someone who has time to explore the region. [...] Set in the southern middle part of the remarkably fertile Fergana Valley, a diverse range of trade industries is found in Isfara from construction to agriculture. But what Isfara is especially known for, are its legendary apricots. Otherwise the town is full of well preserved Soviet architecture from 1960 – 1980s with parks and mosaics.
Claim: Isfara Valley is a territory of Kyrgyzstan (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 Kyrgyzstan (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 Kyrgyzstan (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: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): Ceuta (UK: /ˈsjuːtə/, US: /ˈseɪuːtə/,[5][6] Spanish: [ˈθewta, ˈsewta] ; Arabic: سَبْتَة, romanized: Sabtah) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of the special member state territories of the European Union, and it is one of several Spanish territories in Africa, which include Melilla and the Canary Islands. It was a regular municipality belonging to the province of Cádiz prior to the passing of its Statute of Autonomy in March 1995,[7] as provided by the Spanish Constitution, henceforth becoming an autonomous city.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-30): Ceuta is the older of the two enclaves, its roots stretching back to ancient times. Originally a Berber settlement, it passed through the hands of the Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, and Byzantines before the Umayyads of the Islamic Caliphate captured it in the 8th century. Ceuta became an important outpost for the Moors during their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. However, in 1415, the Portuguese seized the city from its Muslim rulers. Ceuta remained under Portuguese control until the Iberian Union (1580-1640) when it passed into Spanish hands following the union’s dissolution. [...] The 20th century ushered in dramatic changes for the broader region, and Ceuta and Melilla were no exception. As decolonization movements swept across Africa, Morocco, newly independent in 1956, quickly laid claim to both cities, viewing them as integral parts of its territorial sovereignty. For Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla are akin to colonial vestiges that ought to be reintegrated into the kingdom, much like Gibraltar is for Spain in its own dispute with the United Kingdom. Spain, however, has steadfastly maintained that Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of its national territory. Both enclaves were officially declared autonomous cities in 1995, further cementing their political and administrative ties to Madrid. Spain’s argument is based on a legal framework that sees Ceuta and Melilla as long-established Spanish municipalities, predating the modern Moroccan state.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-04-20): This is the charming heart of Ceuta, with manicured tropical plantings, a square of freshly renovated cobblestone pathways and some of the city’s finest… Ceuta is one of a handful of Spanish possessions on the coastline of Morocco. Located on a peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean, it offers a compact dose of fantastic architecture, interesting museums, excellent food, a relaxing maritime park and bracing nature walks. The city is particularly beautiful at night, a skyline of artfully lit buildings and bursting palms. The most impressive sight in Ceuta is the medieval Royal Walls, which date back over 1000 years and have been passed from Arab to Portuguese to Spanish…
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-08-02): The Spanish Territories of Morocco: Melilla and Ceuta [...] The next territories are Melilla and Ceuta. Often referred to as the "twin cities," these are both autonomous cities that belong to Spain. These two coastal cities are on mainland Morocco but separated from the rest of the country with walls 20ft of height. According to Eurostat data from 2019, Melilla has a population of 84,689 and Ceuta has a population of 84,829. Although located in North Africa, these cities are a part of the European Union, use the Euro as their currency, and use Spanish as their official language. [...] Photo: Spain and Morocco Clash After Thousands of Migrants Enter Ceuta
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-08-24): Ceuta and Melilla are two cities from Spain in African territory. [...] In this case, there is a "foreign rule" but Ceuta and Melilla are not separated "from the administration of the original country of the colonizers". I've seen this map where Gibraltar is considered as "Non-self governing territory" (like Western Sahara from Spain) but Ceuta and Melilla don't appear.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-27): Ceuta (Arabic: سبتة (Sabtah), Berber: Sebta) is one of two Spanish exclaves in North Africa (the other one being Melilla). The territory had several rulers before the Portuguese in 1415 took control of this city east of Tangier. Since 1580 it has been under Spanish administration, but has the status of an autonomous city. [...] By road [edit]By land, Ceuta is only accessible from Morocco. It is much easier to go to Ceuta from Tetouán rather than from Tangier, as most buses from Tangier go through Tetouan anyway before heading north to Fnideq. [...] Talk [edit]As Ceuta is part of Spain, Spanish is the official language and is spoken by the majority of the population. Arabic is spoken by the Moroccan minority.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-07-09): If you find yourself in northern Morocco, consider stepping over the land border into Ceuta, Spain. Located about an hour east of Tangier by taxi, this autonomous Spanish city is an easy day trip for travelers and a tranquil home to both Arabs and Spaniards. The lush growth of palm trees so common throughout Morocco continues into Ceuta, decorating the city’s major streets and coastline. The main promenade that overlooks the coast is spacious and clean, and offers numerous fountains, statues and benches. [...] - Ceuta is in the Central European time zone with Madrid, which is one to two hours behind Morocco, depending on the time of year.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-07-04): But once Morocco gained its independence in 1956 after decades of rule by the French and Spanish, Spain refused to include Melilla and Ceuta as Moroccan territories. [...] For Spain and Morocco, the borders at Melilla and Ceuta have been used as a battleground for diplomatic disputes. [...] In retaliation for Ghali’s treatment, Morocco loosened its border controls in May 2021, resulting in 8,000 migrants crossing over into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
Claim: Ceuta is a territory of Morocco (Ceuta, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-01-01): For centuries disputed by the Spanish, Moroccans and Portuguese, Ceuta is now administratively an autonomous Spanish city in North African territory. In its soul, it is a fascinating mixture of cultures and populations, a Spain with Moroccan touches. Geographically, it is the northern tip of Africa, always looking towards Gibraltar. The old town stretches across a peninsula that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea and is full of places ideal for a relaxing break among the museums and monuments that tell the special story of this strategic outpost. When the heat becomes too much, you can cool off with a swim in the sea or in the salt water of the artificial lakes in the maritime park.