Mediators provide "first aid" when local conflicts erupt in southern Kyrgyzstan
Late in the evening of 20 June 2009, residents of the town of Uzgen in southern Kyrgyzstan were alarmed by a burst of gunfire coming from the western side of the town. In Uzgen, which experienced bloody inter-ethnic collisions in 1990, any unusual activity arouses anxiety and fear. Women began hastily locking gates and taking children away to quiet places. Men kept their eyes open, ready to protect their houses.
Mahamadjan Nasirov, head of the local network of mediators, tells the story: "I also didn't know what was happening, and decided to go investigate. I informed the current chairman of the district committee and was joined by several mediator colleagues who I managed to call on the way. It turned out that the Kyrgyz National Security Service was launching an operation to capture terrorist suspects in the neighbouring village of Kosh Korgon. We were assured that there was no threat for civilians. We immediately returned and walked through the streets, explaining the situation. People breathed freely again."
Nasirov and his colleagues belong to a group of OSCE-supported mediators - or "national diplomats", as they are called - who provide on-the-spot assistance in Uzgen and the surrounding district in situations where public security is at risk.
"Last May," Nasirov recounts, "a schoolboy was hit by a car in the central street of the town. The boy was of Uzbek nationality and the driver was Kyrgyz. The incident could have triggered inter-ethnic violence. The young people who gathered at the accident site were excited and ready to resort to blows. But instead, convincing words found by mediators took effect. The dust settled. The child was taken to hospital. Fortunately, the injury was minor."
There are many similar examples of national diplomats calming conflicting parties and settling disputes by peaceful means.
OSCE-supported mediator teams
The network of mediators in Uzgen was created in 2007 upon the initiative of the city's administrative board in response to a rising incidence of inter-ethnic clashes. Run by the non-governmental organization IRET, the project has been supported by the Osh Field Office of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek from the start.
In March 2009, the Osh Field Office supported the formation of a second group of mediators in Nookat district, after confrontations between local authorities and a large religious group came to a head there.
The hope was that mediation would provide a viable alternative to harsher methods of crowd control, which in one case had even led to the imprisonment of 30 villagers and had largely eroded citizens' trust in the authorities.
Pilot teams were set up in five administrative areas of Nookat district: Mirmahmudov, Gulistan, Jany-Nookat, Kara Tash and the town of Nookat itself.
In addition to supporting the mediator groups in Uzgen and Nookat, the OSCE - together with IRET - provides assistance to 11 conflict prevention centres in downtown Osh.
Close to the people
The Nookat mediators began their work by analysing the underlying causes of tension in the area. These include the absence of preventive measures and objective information, the almost mono-ethnic composition of many institutions and the corruption that pervades all levels of bureaucracy. They also identified the main points of contention in individual villages: irrigation water in Mirmahmudov and Gulistan; the distribution of humanitarian aid in Kara Tash; strained relations between young people of different ethnic groups in the city centre of Nookat.
On this basis, they looked for ways to initiate changes for the better. They held roundtables with interested persons in the communities to generate proposals. In some cases, the ensuing discussions have already brought results. In Gulistan, for example, the problem of water supply has been solved, with the village administration providing money and local residents also contributing.
The mediators are successful because they are able to generate mutual trust. The teams comprise women and men of different professions - teachers, builders, financial advisors, civil servants -, who are well-known and respected in their communities. Residents of the village of Kara Tash had the following to say about the mediators Saydabyt Rakhmanov and Botokoz Mamanova: "We believe them, they are honest, fair, credible people. They are teachers; already at school they taught us good sense. They have knowledge, experience, strength of conviction and charisma."
Looking ahead
In spite of the approbation enjoyed by the mediators, challenges remain. The question of their status, for instance, remains unresolved, subjecting their work to unnecessary uncertainty. There are proposals on the table for developing a certification procedure.
Material and moral support needs to be ensured. Of course, knowing that one is working for a good cause is a reward in itself, but mediators may in some cases not even have the money to go to the site of an incident.
Contacts with the media leave much to be desired. "We have tried wherever possible to invite journalists or give them stories about our activities," complains Avazbek Tursunbaev, a mediator from Uzgen, "but television stations and newspapers are mainly commercial now and require a lot of money for their services."
Last but not least, a mechanism for enhancing the knowledge and experience of mediators needs to be put into place. Kamilzhan Eminov, mediator and school director in the village of Mirmakhmudova, says, "I am almost fifty, but I have a lot to learn in the field of public diplomacy."
The OSCE Office will continue to support the mediator networks in Uzgen province, Nookat district and the city of Osh. At the same time, there are plans to create similar networks in the neighbouring Jalal-Abad region, where there are several areas of risk.
"I have seen what they do, those tireless guys," says Ahmadkari Ismailov, a pensioner from Nookat. "It would be nice if all cities and areas in the region had such networks. Everyone would benefit, without a doubt."