Building confidence in the future: Opportunities and challenges in the Ferghana Valley

Community perceptions of safety and security

this is the first survey of communities’ perceptions of safety and security conducted by Saferworld and local partners, the Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI), the Association for Scientific and Technical Intelligentsia (ASTI) and Youth Initiatives for Development (MIR). Research was conducted in four oblasts (provinces)
in the Ferghana Valley: Batken, Jalal-Abad and Osh in the Kyrgyz Republic and Soghd in Tajikistan and consisted of a household survey, FDGs (Focus Group Discussions) and interviews with experts and security providers. Researchers were interested in dynamics in communities recently affected by, or perceived as susceptible to, conflict: Osh and Jalal-Abad, where hundreds were killed in large-scale violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in June 2010; and Batken and Soghd, the border areas between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which experiences tensions, sometimes violent, between Kyrgyz and Tajik residents.

The research provides a snapshot of communities’ situation and security needs; perceptions about security provision; the potential for increased tension and violence; and longer-term opportunities for peaceful development and stabilisation. Significant tensions remain, despite many people not facing immediate threats to their personal
security. Access to basic infrastructure, poor economic opportunities and corruption are major concerns for communities. These are underscored by interethnic tensions and religious cleavages, even when outward conflict is not observed. Failure of the rule of law, official misconduct and general impotence to protect communities undermine public confidence, and many people are concerned about their long term future.

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“Sometimes civilians play the role of border guards. What else are they supposed to do, if our border guards don’t protect us?”

20 year-old ethnic Kyrgyz man