Rahmon recalls Tajikistan’s civil war: More than 150,000 people were killed

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has recalled the devastating impact of the country’s civil war in the early 1990s, saying the conflict brought Tajikistan to the brink of state collapse.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of Tajikistan’s independence, Rahmon said the nearly five-year conflict had caused widespread loss of life, displacement and long-term economic damage, Caliber.Az reports via Tajik media. 

“This war was imposed on the Tajik people by those hostile to our nation, who acted out of their own self-interest and exploited misguided members of society who failed to exercise due vigilance. Its consequences dealt a devastating blow to the process of state-building and the country’s development,” the President noted.

According to Rahmon, more than 150,000 people were killed, while hundreds of thousands were left homeless or forced to flee the country. He said the conflict set Tajikistan’s development back by many years.

Rahmon also recalled a November 1992 Supreme Council session, when he said Tajikistan should pursue the establishment of a new state based on democratic principles, the rule of law, secularism and social development.

He said more than three decades of experience had demonstrated the effectiveness of that system of governance.

Rahmon highlighted Tajikistan’s economic progress since the end of the conflict and the subsequent period of postwar reconstruction. Over the past 25 years, average annual economic growth has exceeded 7.7%, he said.

The country’s GDP increased from 1.8 billion somoni in 2000 to 177 billion somoni in 2025, while state budget revenues rose from 252 million somoni in 2000 to 65 billion somoni in 2026.

Rahmon said the poverty rate had fallen from 83% to 19%, while average life expectancy had risen by seven years to 77.

“The country’s population has doubled and will reach 11 million by the end of this year,” added the President of Tajikistan.

By Sabian Mammadli