Kyrgyzstan declares state of emergency in Osh, 6 dead in riots

Osh - A new wave of violence has broken out in Kyrgyzstan in the southern city of Osh where at least six people are dead and 66 are wounded. The interim government declared a state of emergency.

Political unrest has been quite a common daily occurrence in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan. Since the interim government ousted the President Kurmanbek Bakiyev government, violence, deaths, rallies and injuries have happened regularly. On Thursday, authorities announced that at least six people are dead and 66 are wounded in a fresh wave of violence, which was sparked during riots in the southern region of Kyrgyzstan, primarily in the country’s second-largest city Osh, according to Xinhua. Interim authorities, reports the Associated Press, declared a state of emergency after local media reported that several gangs had exchanged gunfire in the districts of Aravan, Karrasu and Uzgen. Local reports also say that the gangs of young men have armed themselves with sticks and had attacked numerous businesses and lit cars on fire. The interim government also dispatched armored vehicles and troops to the city of Osh to bring back and law, order and stability. “A state of emergency has been declared in Osh and these districts from June 11 until June 20,” said spokesperson for the interim government, Farid Niyazov, reports AFP.