Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan elections: Unity top priority for Atambayev

Newly elected Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev has said his biggest challenge will be to unify the country, which has seen two revolutions and a string of questionable elections during the past decade.

Ambiguity surrounding Kyrgyzstan elections raises fresh concern of instability

The Kyrgyz government Wednesday approved a controversial vote recount, raising the specter of fresh instability in a country whose political system has been shattered by two violent revolutions in barely five years.

Kyrgyzstan elections signal unease with parliamentary rule

Weekend Kyrgyzstan elections came off smoothly and fairly. But they also demonstrate popular unease with reforms designed to prevent a return to one-man rule.

Kyrgyzstan ex-president's brother arrested - with wig and fake mustache

Police say they found the brother of ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev with a pistol and ammunition, a wig, and a false mustache and beard. He was arrested for having a role in the Kyrgyzstan violence last month.

Why Russia's Medvedev is blasting ally Kyrgyzstan

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev unexpectedly criticized a government reform vote in Kyrgyzstan that passed Sunday with 91 percent support.

Kyrgyzstan failure could boost Afghan drug trade, Islamist radicals

The recent wave of ethnic violence is Kyrgyzstan's second violent upheaval in five years. A June 27 referendum could bolster the weak government, but lingering security problems may hamper the vote.

Kyrgyzstan riots led to ethnic cleansing; government blames Bakiyev

The Kyrgyzstan riots that ethnically cleansed the city of Osh of much of its Uzbek population could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. The interim government blames ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and says the situation is improving.

Kyrgyzstan crisis spreads as 100,000 Uzbeks try to flee

The son of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was arrested in England on Tuesday for alleged links to the Kyrgyzstan violence. Nearly 200 have died and 100,000 ethnic Uzbeks have fled to the border with Uzbekistan.

Kyrgyzstan violence sends Uzbek refugees to the border

Ongoing Kyrgyzstan violence has sent 100,000 ethnic Uzbek's fleeing to the country's eastern border. The interim government has charged that gangs tied to ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev are responsible for starting the fighting.

Kyrgyz violence: Kyrgyzstan struggles to quell ethnic massacres

Kyrgyzstan has been unable to control the Kyrgyz violence, which has now killed more than 100 and wounded more than 1,000, though the death toll is likely to climb higher.

Kyrgyzstan's Bakiyev charged with mass murder

Three weeks after overthrowing President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the interim government now running Kyrgyzstan has charged him in absentia with mass murder. Belarus, which is hosting the deposed leader, has not said if it will extradite him.

Kyrgyzstan authorizes deadly force on wave of riots, looting

Deposed Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev insisted from Belarus on Wednesday he was still the country's rightful leader, while the interim government in Bishkek authorized the use of deadly force to put down looting and ethnic violence.

Deadly riots in Kyrgyzstan challenge interim government

Ten days after an interim government overthrew the president in Kyrgyzstan, riots have killed several people and mobs are seizing ethnic minorities’ land and businesses.

Kyrgyzstan president resigns, leaving new leaders in full control

Kyrgyzstan President Bakiyev resigned Thursday and fled to Kazakhstan. The interim government of Roza Otunbayeva must now try to restore order to the highly strategic but unstable country.

Gunfire at pro-Bakiyev rally sparks concern of more violence after Kyrgyzstan coup

Bodyguards of deposed Kyrgyzstan President Bakiyev fired shots at a rally in the southern city of Osh. His refusal to leave the country since the Kyrgyzstan coup could provoke more violence.

Kyrgyzstan coup: Bakiyev inching closer to leaving the country

President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, pushed from power in the Kyrgyzstan coup last week, is nearing a deal to allow him and his family to leave the country, cooling concerns of further violence in the Central Asian nation, according to media reports from the capital Bishkek.

Kyrgyz coup: Who is new leader Roza Otunbayeva?

Former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbayeva has emerged in the wake of the Kyrgyz coup as the leader of an interim government in Kyrgyzstan, home to a key base for the US war effort in Afghanistan.

Protests topple Kyrgyz government, Roza Otunbayeva takes charge

Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev appeared to confirm Thursday he had lost control of the country's armed forces as former ally Roza Otunbayeva took charge of a provisional Kyrgyz government.

Can US supply Afghanistan war without Kyrgyzstan's Manas airfield?

The US military may retain access to Manas airfield – a key transit hub for the Afghanistan war – despite the turmoil in Kyrgyzstan. But given the weakness of other supply routes, the loss would deal a major blow.

Kyrgyzstan opposition takes over in Bishkek. What happens to Manas?

With opposition leaders claiming they've formed their own government in Bishkek and reports that Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has left the country, What will happen to the US use of the Manas air base?

Kyrgyzstan protests: What it means for US role in Afghanistan war?

The Kyrgyzstan protests, in which government forces killed at least 17 rioters who tried to storm President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's office and other locations, highlights US reliance on a key air base supplying troops in Afghanistan war.

US ally Kyrgyzstan holds Soviet-style election

As host to a key US air base – used to support troops in Afghanistan – the country may feel little pressure to address electoral and human rights abuses.

Russia-China war games battle extremists, separatists

In a first, the games will range across Russian as well as Chinese territory near Khabarovsk in the far east.

Kyrgyzstan weighs opium as industry

As an election nears, a presidential candidate promotes the idea that the opium trade could bring cash to the impoverished Central Asian republic.

Petraeus knocks on Uzbekistan's door as Kyrgyz base gets the boot