Sangak Murodovich Safarov (; 1 January 1928 – 29 March 1993) was a Tajik paramilitary leader and warlord who was one of the leaders of the Popular Front of Tajikistan during the

Tajikistani Civil War The Tajikistani Civil War,, group=pron also known as the Tajik Civil War, began in May 1992 and ended in June 1997. Regional groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan rose up against the newly formed government of Preside ...

. Also known as Bobo Sangak, although he did not hold high positions in the government, for some time he was considered by many to be almost the '' de facto'' leader of

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

because of his position in the Popular Front.

Biography

He was born on 1 January 1928 in the village of Dangara. Safarov was a Kulabi Tajik. His father was purged in 1935, his older brother was convicted and shot in 1939, and his two younger brothers died of hunger. In 1951, Safarov was sentenced to 1 year in prison for stealing a car, then in 1957 he was convicted of hitting a pedestrian, which led to death. After serving another term of imprisonment, Safarov worked as a barman in the central park of

Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...

, but in 1964, he killed a Chechen

racketeer Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. The term "racket ...

, after which he was convicted and spent 23 years in prison.

Civil War

In June 1992, during the

Civil War in Tajikistan The Tajikistani Civil War,, group=pron also known as the Tajik Civil War, began in May 1992 and ended in June 1997. Regional groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan rose up against the newly formed government of Preside ...

, his supporters staged an armed uprising in Kulob. On July 28, 1992, a ceasefire was declared, but Safarov stated that his people would not lay down their arms until the opposition government resigns. In September, Safarov, with the active support of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

officer Vladimir Kvachkov launched an offensive in Dushanbe. In Kulob, Safarov's units put the biggest pressure on the

United Tajik Opposition The United Tajik Opposition (UTO) was an alliance of liberal, nationalist and Islamist forces that officially banded together in 1993, after the most violent phase of the Tajik Civil War. The UTO fought against the pro-communist and Khujandi/ ...

, and in early October, his forces seized the capital. He is also credited with organizing the killing former Tajik President

Qadriddin Aslonov Qadriddin Aslonov (, also spelled Kadriddin Aslonov; 29 May 1947 – November 1992) was acting President of Tajikistan from 31 August to 23 September 1991. Aslonov was born on 29 May 1947 in Rasht District, Tajik SSR. When his predecessor Qahh ...

in November 1992. After the 16th session of the Supreme Soviet, Safarov did not receive any official position, remaining the leader of the Popular Front. At the same time he had unlimited power, as many members of the government feared the Popular Front and its influence.

Death

He was assassinated on 29 March 1993 alongside Faizali Saidov after an armed clash at the latter's house. The clash reportedly occurred during an argument over the fate of Tajik refugees in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, and it is often believed that they killed each other. Despite this, there are also theories that they were both killed by government forces. The national government declared a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

after their deaths. 31 March was declared a day of mourning. Safarov was buried in the city of

Kulob Kulob or Khatlon is a city in Khatlon Region in southern Tajikistan. Located southeast of the capital Dushanbe on the river Yakhsu (a right tributary of Panj), it is one of the largest cities in the country. Its population is estimated at 106 ...

in the

Khatlon Region Khatlon Region (), one of the four provinces of Tajikistan, is the most populous of the four first-level administrative regions in the country. It is situated in the southwest of the country, between the Hisor Range, Hisor (Gissar) Range in the n ...

. The funeral was attended by Chairman of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet () was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, establ ...

Emomali Rakhmonov and Prime Minister

Abdumalik Abdullajanov Abdumalik Abdullayevich Abdullajanov (born 1 January 1949) is a Tajikistani politician, born in Leninabad. He served as the third prime minister of Tajikistan from 21 September 1992 to 18 December 1993. He resigned as Prime Minister to become Taj ...

Personal life

Safarov's first marriage was with an Ossetian woman, Tonya, with whom he had a son, Igor. In 1978, after his release from prison, he entered into a second marriage with a 17-year-old Tajik woman, who bore him 4 daughters and 4 sons. His third marriage with a nurse named Mehri in 1992.

Legacy

Safarov has been described as a "butcher", with opposition journalist Timur Klychev claiming Safarov entered a village recently and sworn "to destroy all the men from Garm and make the women into slaves." The Tajik Higher Military College was named after Sangak Safarov (in 2002 it was renamed the Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Safarov, Sangak 1928 births 1993 deaths Tajikistani military personnel People from Khatlon Region Tajikistani rebels