Civil war in Tajikistan (1992-1997): description, history and consequences

On the eve of the collapse of the USSR (and even in the early 1980s), the situation on the outskirts of the state was such that Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Tajikistan and many other Central Asian republics no longer recognized Moscow and were, in fact, on the path of separatism. After the collapse of the Union was followed by a terrible massacre: first under the distribution fell our compatriots, and only then the local government began to eliminate all possible competitors. Approximately in the same scenario, the civil war in Tajikistan developed.

It should be noted that Tajikistan, like Kazakhstan, was one of the few Central Asian republics that really did not want the collapse of the USSR. Therefore, the intensity of passions was such that it led to a civil war.

Prerequisites

It should not, however, be considered that it began "suddenly and suddenly," since each phenomenon has its own origins. They were in this case too.

Demographic successes - including. What was Tajikistan in the 1990s? The civil war began precisely in the region of the former Soviet Union, where until the last days it was observed a rapid and constant increase in the population. To somehow use huge labor reserves, people were transferred to different parts of the republic. But such methods failed to solve the problem to the end. The restructuring began, the industrial boom ceased, and the resettlement program was also terminated. Hidden unemployment reached 25%.

Problems with neighbors

At the same time, the Taliban regime was established in Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan began to interfere rudely in the affairs of the former sister republic. At the same time, the interests of the United States and Iran collided in Tajikistan. Finally, the USSR was no more, and the newly formed Russian Federation could no longer perform the duties of arbiter in this region. The tension gradually increased, the logical result was the civil war in Tajikistan.

The beginning of conflict

In general, the beginning of the conflict was actively promoted by the processes that were taking place in Afghanistan at that time. Between the Pashtun, Tajik and Uzbek factions, an armed struggle for power in this region unfolded. It is quite expected that the Pashtuns in the face of the Taliban proved to be stronger than their disunited and constantly quarreling opponents. Of course, Tajiks and Uzbeks hastened to grapple with each other. In particular, Uzbekistan actively supported its proteges in the territory of the Tajiks. Thus, Uzbeks can be considered as "full-fledged" participants in civil confrontation. This need to be told in more detail.

So, the official armed forces of Uzbekistan, along with the semi-bandit formations of the gissar's Uzbeks, actively intervened in hostilities even in 1997, when the conflict was already beginning to fade. Before the UN, Uzbeks were actively justified by the fact that they allegedly contribute to preventing the spread of radical Islam.

Actions by third parties

Of course, against the background of all this disgrace, all parties did not stop trying to grab a piece of pie fatter, hoping to increase their influence in the region. So, in Dushanbe (1992), Iran and the US practically simultaneously opened their embassies. Naturally, they played on different sides, supporting various opposition forces operating in Tajikistan. Russia's passive position, which it took from the lack of forces in this region, played into the hands of all, especially Saudi Arabia. Arab sheikhs could not help but notice how convenient Tajikistan is as a springboard, ideally adapted for operations in Afghanistan.

The beginning of the Civil War

Against the background of all this, the appetites of criminal structures were constantly growing, which by that time played an important role in the administrative apparatus of Tajikistan. Everything deteriorated after 1989, when a mass amnesty was held. Many former prisoners, spurred on by money from third parties, were ready to fight against anyone and anything. Here in this "soup" and civil war arose in Tajikistan. The authorities wanted everything, but to achieve it the semi-criminal structures were the most suitable.

The clashes started back in 1989. Some experts believe that the war broke out after anti-communist rallies in Dushanbe. Allegedly, the Soviet government after that lost face. Such views are naive, since already in the late 1970s Moscow's power in these regions was recognized only formally. Nagorno-Karabakh showed the Kremlin's complete inability to adequately act in the event of a threat, so the radical forces at that time simply emerged from the shadows.

Elections

On November 24, 1991, the first presidential elections took place, in which Nabiyev won. In general, it was not difficult to do this, since he had no rivals in these "elections". Naturally, after this mass fermentation began, the newly-made president distributed weapons to the Kulob clans, on whose representatives he relied.

Some exalted authors argue that this was a catastrophic mistake of the democratic society of the young Republic. So that's it. At that time, the amount of unaccounted weapons and militants from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan was concentrated in Tajikistan, that the onset of the clash was only a matter of time. Unfortunately, the civil war in Tajikistan was predetermined initially.

Armed actions

In early May 1992, the radicals opposed the idea of creating from the Kulyab "National Guard", immediately taking the offensive. The main communication points, hospitals, the hostages were actively taken, the first blood was spilled. Parliament under such pressure quickly provided part of the key posts to the hostile clans. Thus, the spring events of 1992 ended with the formation of a certain "coalition" government.

Its representatives practically did not do anything useful for the newly-made country, but actively feuded, built each other intrigues and entered into an open confrontation. Of course, for a long time this could not continue, the civil war in Tajikistan began. In short, its origins should be sought in the unwillingness to negotiate with opponents.

The coalition still had some inner unity aimed at physically destroying all potential enemies. The fighting was conducted with extreme brutality. Neither prisoners nor witnesses were left. In early autumn of 1992, Nabiyev himself was taken hostage and forced to sign a renunciation. The power was taken by the opposition. This brief history of the civil war in Tajikistan could end, as the new elite offered quite sensible ideas and did not want to sink the country in blood ... But this was not meant to come true.

The entry into the war of the third forces

First, gissar's Uzbeks joined the forces of radicals. Secondly, the government of Uzbekistan has openly stated that the armed forces of the country will also enter the battle, if the gissars will win convincing victories. However, the Uzbeks did not hesitate to use their troops on the territory of the neighboring country massively, without requesting permission from the UN. It was thanks to such "assembled solyanki" punishers that the civil war in Tajikistan lasted for so long (1992-1997).

Destruction of civilians

At the end of 1992 gissars and kuliabtsi captured Dushanbe. The troops of the opposition began to retreat into the mountains, followed by thousands of refugees. Some of them left first for Apmir, and from there people moved to Afghanistan. The main mass of people who fled the war went towards Garm. Unfortunately, punitive detachments also moved there. When they reached unarmed people, a terrible slaughter broke out. Hundreds and thousands of corpses were simply thrown into the Surkhab River. There were so many of them that the locals did not even approach the river for almost two decades.

Since then, the war has continued, then flaring up, once again fading, for more than five years. Generally speaking, this conflict is not called "civil" properly, since up to 60% of the troops of the opposing sides, not to mention the gangs, were immigrants from other regions of the former USSR, including Georgia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. So the duration of combat operations is understandable: someone outside the country has been profitable long-term and constant armed resistance.

In general, the uprising of the opposition did not end there. How long did the civil war last in Tajikistan? 1992-1997, as the official point of view. But this is far from the case, for the latest skirmishes date back to the early 2000s. According to unofficial data, the situation in this Central Asian country is still far from ideal. This is particularly true now, when Afghanistan in general has turned into a territory flooded with Bacchabits.

Consequences of the war

It is no coincidence that it is said that the greatest disaster for the country is not an enemy invasion, not a natural disaster, but a civil war. In Tajikistan (1992-1997), the population was able to make sure of this on their own experience.

The events of those years were characterized by huge casualties among citizens, as well as enormous economic damage: during the fighting virtually the entire industrial infrastructure of the former Soviet Union was destroyed, and barely managed to defend a unique hydroelectric power station, which at present gives up to one-third of Tajikistan's total budget. Only according to official data, at least 100 thousand people died, as many - were missing. What is characteristic, among the latter - not less than 70% of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians who before the collapse of the Union also lived on the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan (1992). The civil war only intensified and accelerated the manifestations of xenophobia.

The problem of refugees

The exact number of refugees is still not known. Most likely, they were much more than a million, which official Tajik authorities say. Incidentally, the problem of refugees is still one of the most acute issues that the government of the country is trying to avoid in every possible way when communicating with its colleagues from Russia, Uzbekistan, Iran and even Afghanistan. In our country, it is estimated that at least four million people left the country.

In the first wave, scientists, doctors, writers fled. Thus, Tajikistan (1992-1997) lost not only industrial facilities, but also its intellectual core. Until now, there is an acute shortage of many qualified specialists in the country. In particular, it is for this reason that the development of numerous deposits of minerals, which are available on the territory of the country, has not yet begun.

President Rahmonov in 1997 issued a decree on the organization of the international foundation "Reconciliation", which theoretically helped refugees return to Tajikistan. The 1992 civil war was too costly for the country, and so no one pays any attention to past disagreements.

Instead of concluding

But this proposal was taken advantage of by mostly low-skilled workers and former militants of the warring parties. Literate specialists are not going to return to the country any more, as they have long been assimilated abroad, and their children no longer know the language or customs of their former homeland. In addition, almost completely destroyed industry in Tajikistan contributes to an ever-growing number of guest workers. There is no place to work in the country itself, but because they leave abroad: only in Russia, according to 2013, at least one million Tajiks work constantly.

And this - only officially passed through the FMS. According to unofficial data, their number in the territory of our country can reach 2-3.5 million. So the war in Tajikistan once again confirms the thesis that civil confrontations are the most terrible thing that can happen in the country. Benefits from them there is no one (except for external enemies).