Fergana Valley

  • Contested territories
  • Disputed by Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
  • Population 10.000.000
  • Area 22,000 km²

The Fergana Valley is divided among three republics of the former Soviet Union: eastern Uzbekistan, northern Tajikistan and southern Kyrgyzstan. Various ethnicities used to live side by side in the valley but since the Soviet Union collapsed, new independent republics have been stressing their own national identity rather than respecting the multi-ethnic population that lives in the enclaves. As a result many smaller inter-ethnic disputes in border regions often turn into national border disputes. This makes the Fergana Valley one of the most violent regions in the area.

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Somaliland

Somaliland is a self-declared state, internationally considered to be an autonomous region of Somalia. It lies in northwestern Somalia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden. After the overthrow of Somali military dictator Siad Barr, the former British protectorate declared independence in 1991. Somaliland is ranked as partly free by Freedom House, and maintains informal ties with some foreign governments. The de facto state issues its own money: the Somaliland shilling. However, Somaliland’s self-proclaimed independence remains unrecognized by any country or international organization.

Essequibo

Essequibo is a disputed region that makes up two thirds of the country Guyana, a coastal republic in Latin America between Venezuela, Brazil and Surinam. The area is rich with oil and gold. Recently, Venezuela has threatened to annex the region up to the river Essequibo and claim it as Guayana Esequiba. In December 2023 Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, organized a referendum to seek support for annexation. The dispute stretches back to the colonial powers that once held this region: Spain (Venezuela) and the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (Guyana). In an 1899 international arbitration the territory Essequibo was assigned to Guyana, yet Venezuela claims there have been procedural mistakes and the arbitration should therefore be dismissed.

Užupis

Užupis is a small neighborhood in the old part of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. In 1991 Lithuania broke free from the former Soviet Union and local artists erected a monument for singer Frank Zappa, who they claimed served as an example for the inhabitants of the former satellite state. They went one step further on 1st April, 1997 when the independent Republic of Užupis was declared. “The spirit of Zappa made us see that independence from Moscow was not enough and persuaded us to declare independence from the rest of Vilnius.”