As War Rages at Home, Sudanese Student Leaves Kazakhstan for Uncertain Future
A Sudanese student named Amir began studying at a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2023, just a few months before rival military factions in his country launched a devastating civil war that, according to some estimates, has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 10 million to...
OSCE, European Embassies Concerned About Media Freedom in Tajikistan
A conference was held in Dushanbe to mark World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on May 3. Despite Tajikistan's slight rise in the 2025 Press Freedom Index, international observers remain unconvinced that the situation in the country has improved. Official ratings vs. real-world conditions The event was organized by the...
Soviet Space Probe to Fall to Earth 50 Years After Baikonur Launch
In 1972, the Soviet Union launched a Venus-bound lander probe called Cosmos 482 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which was then a Soviet republic. The probe, which never got out of Earth's orbit, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in a week or so. “Because the probe was designed...
U.S. Cuts Funding for Uzbek Cotton Transparency Project
On April 30, during a cabinet meeting at the White House attended by President Donald Trump, U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced the cancellation of more than $38 million in foreign aid programs, including funding for a project aimed at improving transparency and labor practices in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry. “We...
Turkmen Cultural Workers Fired Over Refusal to Fund Presidential TV Monitor
Another case of forced financial contributions among civil servants has emerged in Turkmenistan. In early April, four employees of the Kerki district's cultural department were dismissed after protesting salary deductions. The funds were intended to finance the purchase of a television monitor designated to display images of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov....
Kazakhstan Seeks to Mitigate Impact of U.S. Tariffs
Kazakhstan is working to minimize the economic damage from newly imposed U.S. tariffs, the highest levied on any Central Asian country. The government is assessing the scope of potential losses and pursuing diplomatic efforts to reverse or reduce the trade measures. A New Front in the Trade War On April...
Kazakhstan Has a Deal for Tajik Electricity, Now the Wait Begins
In the latest sign of Central Asian regional cooperation, Kazakhstan has signed a long-term deal to import electricity from Tajikistan. However, that electricity might not reach Kazakhstan anytime soon, as there are some important details that need to be worked out by Tajikistan before supplies can begin. Kazakhstan’s energy problems...
U.S. Deports Over 100 Central Asian Migrants on Uzbek Charter Flight
More than 100 people from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan who were illegally in the United States have been deported on a charter flight organized by the Uzbek government, the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent said on Thursday. The operation, which happened on Wednesday, was “the first in which a U.S. partner...
Sunkar Podcast
Repatriating Islamic State Fighters and Families: Balancing Security and Humanity
