WORLD BRIDGE BLOG

Like many businessmen in Jalal-Abad, Ilias* had invested his savings in his home. He had an indoor jacuzzi, a full modern-style kitchen and a personal library of over 2000 volumes, largely religious books. Today the only evidence of where the library once stood is a charred space that has more ash then other parts of Ilias’ burned out house.

Refugees International visited Kyrgyzstan in the aftermath of the June 10-14 violence where thousands of destroyed homes and businesses scar the faces of southern cities such as Osh and Jalal-Abad. Members of both ethnic Uzbek and Kyrgyz communities were severely traumatized. Many people lost family members, witnessed their home burnt to the ground, or were forced to flee the country.

Guiding us through the ruins of his once palatial home in Jalal-Abad, Ilias recounted the violence and destruction. “I was busy helping one of my neighbors try to put out a fire that had been set in his house, when I saw a tank break down my own front gate. I rushed home to try and save my property. As I entered, I was hit on the head and someone dragged me out again. Then they poured gasoline on the house and later tried to burn me too. They covered me with gasoline and struck a match. It didn’t light. Thinking that was a sign, they took me away instead.”

An ethnic Uzbek, Ilias credits his life to the fact that he has a lot of Kyrgyz friends. While he was being detained, one of his captors recognized him and spoke up on his behalf. “I was released after six hours because one person there had associated with me through my business operations.”

The intruders broke down the gates of one house, stole or burned everything inside and then moved on to the next house. Ilias’s wife and children hid in their basement until someone helped them escape.

In addition to losing a lifetime of investment in his home, the building of Ilias’s travel business was also destroyed. He notes that many problems related to structural damage remain. “Local TV does not conduct interviews with families here about their lost homes, this is not getting enough attention.” he says. “I want damage estimates to be done correctly. The figure presented on my house was only $10,000 and that is well below its true market value.”

Now homeless and jobless, like many internally displaced people, Ilias spends most nights in an apartment with a host family. Despite everything that has happened, the core of his Central Asian hospitality remains untouched. Gesturing toward the hollow shell of a smoky white stove he tells us, “Next time when everything is OK and you visit here again, I’ll make you tea.”