Ethnic Dungans and Uighurs — minority groups with roots in China — reportedly have been targets of violence amid political turmoil in Kyrgyzstan. According to STRATFOR sources and other reports, Chinese merchants have been attacked in Tokmok, a town east of Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian states are dotted with a number of ethnic minority communities, and are known for awkwardly drawn borders — a legacy from Josef Stalin and the Soviet era. The result is a potentially volatile mix of communities, and violence against minorities has been known to occur during times of political uncertainty.
