There is a population of Uyghurs in Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz: Кыргызстандагы уйгурлар, قىرعیزستانداعی ۇيعۇرلار, Kırgızstandagı uygurlar), who mostly came to the country in three separate migrations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Later, in the early 20th century, Uyghurs, Dungans and Chinese alike came as migrant workers to find employment in coal mines and cotton mills.
[5] The second wave consists of those who fled Xinjiang after the People's Republic of China established control in the area or during the hardships of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
[7] The third wave of migration consists of sojourners, PRC citizen traders of Uyghur and other ethnicities who take up temporary residence, typically in Bishkek, to engage in trade.
Another suspicious fire occurred there in 2002; water service was mysteriously disrupted that day, and Uyghurs accused the police of engaging in looting during the blaze.
[12] In 2005, the Uyghur-dominated Madina Bazaar was set on fire in election-related riots, and Uyghur traders there suffered beatings and lootings.
[2] Unlike neighbouring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan lacks formal education in Uyghur, though some elders run informal schools to teach the language.