Afghanistan anti-narcotics agents have reportedly arrested a drug smuggler (China.org). The man has been caught with 300kg of opium, making it one of the first arrests since opium cultivation and trade was banned by the Taliban government last week. While in line with the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law, this ban also serves to legitimize the regime, as the Chinese foreign ministry praised the move.

Two new papers are published on Central Asia’s water patterns, showing the increasing irregularities caused by climate change (Eurasianet). The papers were funded by the Chinese government, which underscores the country's interests in the region. The papers find that the irregular flows in rivers are due to the shrinking of glaciers, which are replenished less and less as winters grow warmer in the region. Water distribution is a matter of contention in Central Asia as the region has seen numerous inter-state skirmishes that have been the result of water disputes. Furthermore, the use of water for hydroelectric power and non-food industries such as cotton cultivation has increased tensions. These papers highlight the likeliest flashpoint for conflict as water is set to become more scarce in the coming years.

Four activists were detained in Almaty, Kazakhstan for staging pro-Ukrainian protests (RFE/RL). The four activists belong to the Oyan, Qazaqstan! (Wake up, Kazakhstan!) movement. During the performance-demonstration, the four laid down with hands behind their backs to evoke the images of Ukrainian civilians who were killed in Bucha, Ukraine. The activists were taken to a police station and were released hours later after an interrogation. The Kazakhstan government finds itself in a tough balancing act between Russia and the west, not wanting to provoke its northern neighbor on one hand and not wanting bitter relations with the West on the other. The government did permit a pro-Ukraine rally in early March, and dissuades pro-Russia acts, but the sensitive nature of the Bucha incident, and Russia’s insistence that it was a Ukrainian smear campaign, may have motivated these arrests.

Elsewhere, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on joint cooperation in logistics projects (Azernews). The agreement pertains to the Trans-Caspian trade route which goes through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan, and is a major part of the Chinese Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). Representatives of the two countries agreed that the corridor’s capacity should be increased, and transit time decreased. The agreement is the result of months-long talks between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, which hastened as a result of the the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the following sanctions. The countries now seek to normalize their trade activities as disruptions ripple across Central Asia and the Caucasus.