Until last year, ethnic Kyrgyz people were able to cross into neighboring Kyrgyzstan with their Tajik passports. Now they must first travel to a third country, an option few can afford.
A man who tried against all odds to build a successful business on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border was killed in fighting last month. Matisa Nadyrov told Eurasianet of his dreams just a few months ago.
Kyrgyz villagers believe Tajikistan is trying to make life so miserable and unbearable that they will up sticks and move away, ultimately ceding the land by default.