Stability still elusive in turmoil-torn Kyrgyzstan
Peace and stability Kyrgyzstan appear far off in Kyrgyzstan after the southern city of Jalalabad witnessed in the past two days the second bout of bloody clashes in a week between supporters of the interim government and backers of the ousted president.
On Thursday, Jalalabad's acting governor Bektur Asanov was attacked while trying to calm down demonstrators at a local race course. Clashes that took place a day earlier in the city killed two people and injured 71.
After the clashes, the interim government declared a state of emergency and imposed a two-day curfew in the city and nearby regions. But as concerns are mounting over the government's ability to bring the situation under control, many say peace and stability would remain elusive in the Central Asian country, at least for some time.
Political unrest has gripped Kyrgyzstan since massive bloody clashes broke out in the capital Bishkek on April 7. Weeks of off-and-on clashes highlight the government's limited ability to restore law and order in the country, particularly in the south, political observer Valentin Bogatlev said.
On May 13, opponents of the interim government seized government buildings in three southern regions; and the following day they traded fire with government supporters in Jalalabad city, leaving at least two dead and over 60 wounded.
On Wednesday, hundreds of ethnic Kyrgyz protesters -- mostly supporters of ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, attempted to storm an Uzbek university in downtown Jalalabad, in revenge against a leader of the local Uzbek community who burned down Bakiyev's ancestral house last week. Some casualties were reported in clashes between protesters, police, and ethnic Uzbeks.
In the face of the worsening turmoil, the interim government led by Roza Otunbayeva should first and foremost assert its authority through a coordinated stance within the government, thus regaining public trust, analysts say.
On Wednesday, Otunbayeva was appointed interim president and prime minister by the interim government and will serve until the last day of 2011, though she is not entitled to run in the presidential election scheduled for October 2011.
