Originally published on the CGS blog on June 23, 2010.
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have reported that more than half, approximately 57,500, of the individuals who left Kyrgyzstan for Uzbekistan have returned home. Reports from inside Kyrgyzstan indicate that 75,000 Kyrgyz citizens fled to Uzbekistan but international aid groups are saying that over 100,000 Kyrgyz citizens actually left the country. In addition to people leaving the country, many more people, approximately 300,000 people, are internally displaced.
Why are they returning home? Has the violence subsided? The answer is not really. Even though Large-scale unrest has ceased in the country’s south, tension still remains high, security forces are carrying out raids and human rights organizations are accusing the police of looting. Officials are reporting that as many as 2,000 people may have been killed during the fighting that took place earlier this month.
In spite of the present tension, the interim leader, Roza Otunbayeva, still wants to continue with the plan of having a constitutional referendum on Sunday. Some say that this is not a good idea because there is a high risk of causing new unrest, but Otunbayeva insists that holding the constitutional referendum is essential for ensuring stability back in Kyrgyzstan.
