Kyrgyzstan
The political and military situation in Kyrgyzstan is not entirely stable. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, sporadic border disputes have occurred between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over shared land resources and border posts.1 The countries have continued to engage in armed conflict,2 specifically in the western region of Batken. While Soviet-era landmines continue to pose a significant threat in Kyrgyzstan, their locations are unclear.3
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), ITF Enhancing Human Security and the GICHD are working on the ground to support the through-life management of ammunition, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence of Kyrgyzstan. Efforts have included disposing of expired artillery and ammunition, training the Kyrgyz military to enhance knowledge on ammunition management, conducting technical assessments on storage facilities and methods for the disposal of fuel components, and conducting regional assessments on physical security and stockpile management practices.4
1 Gavin Helf, “Border Clash between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Risks Spinning out of Control,” United States Institute of Peace, May 4, 2021, https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/05/border-clash-between-kyrgyzstan-and-tajikistan-risks-spinning-out-control.
2 “Kyrgyzstan,” Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project (RULAC), Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, updated September 22, 2022, https://www.rulac.org/browse/countries/kyrgyzstan#collapse1accord.
3 “Kyrgyzstan: Mine Action,” Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor, November 12, 2018, http://www.the-monitor.org/en-gb/reports/2019/kyrgyzstan/mine-action.aspx.
4 “Ammunition Management Activity Platform (A-MAP),” GICHD, 2022, https://a-map.gichd.org.
Launch the country dashboard
Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, no accidental explosions have been reported in Kyrgyzstan.
Source: “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey, updated December 15, 2021, https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
Table 1. Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition, and explosives in Kyrgyzstan since 2000
| Year | Location | Description |
| 2010 | N/A | At least 1,200 weapons and ammunition were stolen from an undisclosed location. |
| 2003 | Jalalabad | Ten people entered the Jalalabad OVD offices and stole around 20 Kalashnikov automatic rifles, more than ten Makarov and Stetchkin pistols, a Dragunov sniper rifle and a machine gun. |
2000–02 | N/A | There were seven registered incidents of large-scale theft of firearms by military personnel. |
Sources: “At Least 1,200 Weapons Stolen in 2010 in Kyrgyzstan,” 24.kg, February 12, 2019, https://24.kg/english/108992__At_least_1200_weapons_stolen_in_2010_in_Kyrgyzstan/; Neil MacFarlane and Stina Torjesen, Small Arms in Kyrgyzstan: A Small Arms Anomaly in Central Asia? (Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2004), https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/Small-Arms-Survey-2004-Chapter-10-EN.pdf.
Disposal
To decrease the above-mentioned risks of accidental explosions and diversion, Kyrgyzstan has continuously disposed of its ammunition since 2016.
Table 2. Disposal of tonnes of ammunition in Kyrgyzstan (2016–21)
| Year | Tonnes of Ammunition |
| 2016 | 100 |
| 2017 | 290 |
| 2018 | 376 |
| 2019 | 508 |
| 2020 | 200 |
| 2021 | 361 |
Sources: Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, US Department of State, To Walk the Earth in Safety, reports published from 2017 to 2022 (Washington, DC: US Department of State).
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following need has been identified for Kyrgyzstan:
- Development or refinement of standards and procedures on stockpile management.
Source: Kyrgyzstan, National Report on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI), (New York: Permanent Mission of Kyrgyzstan to the UN, 2018), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/KGZ-Russian-70-SUBMITTED.pdf.
