Tajikistan: Refugee Repatriation and Conflict Prevention
Since the tragic murder of an unarmed mission of United Nations observers in the Republic of Tajikistan last summer, it has become apparent that too little international attention has been dedicated to this former Soviet republic's struggle to rebuild after several years of civil conflict and population displacement. The challenges facing Tajikistan and the international community supporting its complex peace process are significant.
The goal of this special report is to identify what the international community can do to avoid greater hardship and renewed violence. It examines ways to promote stabilization and encourage the rule of law and civil society in Tajikistan. The report also focuses on the need to protect returning refugees and other civilians, as well as the humanitarian workers who seek to minister to their needs.By examining aspects of a humanitarian relief effort, the report makes recommendations for actions to strengthen international regimes that deal with the political disorder that arises in disintegrating states. Among the fundamental institutions that often collapse in such circumstances are the economy, education and health care. These recommendations may be instructive for similar post-conflict situations. A number of issues raised find analogies in other post-war settings, ranging from Mozambique and Angola, to Bosnia and Cambodia. The report seeks to provoke discussion of new approaches for working in settings where the rule of law is yet to be fully established.