A clash at the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border has killed 31 people, Kyrgyzstan reports, but Tajikistan has not yet officially acknowledged any casualties. This lack of official recognition raises fears of a larger potential conflict.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, when Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan regained sovereignty, the border’s location has been a point of tension. The Soviets tried to establish this area as an ethnically homogenous republic. However, the area was not ethnically homogenous. This raised strong objections from the inhabitants, and eventually, convoluted borders were drawn. Now, over a third of the border is disputed. The latest clash was in the de facto Tajik territory of Vorukh, which is a regular site of aggravation due to varying territorial claims along the border and access to water in the area.

On April 30^th, Kyrgyzstan published a list of Kyrgyzstani properties in the Batken region that have been damaged in clashes at the border. The list included over 20 homes, a border post, eight shops, a casino, and a school. The violence has forced thousands of people to flee from the surrounding villages. These people have either gone to live with other relatives in the country or have been relocated to “specially organized points,” according to authorities in the Batken region.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russian president Vladimir Putin is “deeply concerned” by the border clashes because Russia maintains a military base and presence in the two countries. Putin is “always ready” to play a “mediating role,” the president added.

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan spoke over the phone. Japarov’s press service said the two agreed to meet “in the second half of May … to resolve the current situation exclusively by peaceful means.” Kamchybek Tashiyev, Kyrgyzstan’s national security chief, told journalists he met his Tajikistani counterpart, Saimumin Yatimov, on “neutral territory” at the border. The problems would be worked out “in the next few days,” Tashiyev said.

Though Tajikistan has not officially acknowledged the death toll yet, a rare statement from the country’s press service in the Sughd region revealed that a joint Kyrgyzstani-Tajik taskforce “is making efforts with the hope of peace and friendship.”

It is encouraging that both countries have expressed a desire to resolve their border issues and recognition that the violence cannot continue. Each country’s leaders are in contact with each other and will hopefully find a peaceful solution to end the border violence and ease the region’s tensions. The communication that seems to be in progress already is the first step to resolving this conflict. Russia’s involvement does not seem productive, given that these issues resulted from border demarcations during the Soviet Union.

The border is currently under ceasefire, but local authorities in Kyrgyzstan’s Batken region said that, despite this, shooting is still happening “periodically.” More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from the area along the border so far. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, leader of Uzbekistan, said he spoke to both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s leaders with the goal of easing the conflict. It is unclear what exactly will be done to ease tensions and end the violent clashes, but the nations’ leaders are in contact with one another to discuss possible plans for peace while the ceasefire continues.