Almaty The mass protests against the drastic rise in fuel prices in Kazakhstan have turned into violent unrest. According to media reports, demonstrators stormed the president’s residence in Almaty on Wednesday and set fire there, and the main administrative building with the mayor’s office was also on fire. As reported by the Russian news agency Tass from Kazakhstan, police officers fired at some protesters in front of the presidential residence, but then fled from the crowd.
In the face of the unrest, a Russian-led military alliance steps in. The organization of the collective security treaty will send peacekeeping troops to Kazakhstan’s request, wrote the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday night on Facebook. Armenia is also a member of the military alliance. The soldiers were to be deployed for a limited period of time “to stabilize and normalize the situation in the country”.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had previously asked the military alliance for help. The riots that broke out over the weekend are “not a threat, but an undermining of the integrity of the state,” he said.
Tokayev announced in a televised address “maximum hardship” against “lawbreakers”. He extended a state of emergency already existing for Almaty and the capital Nur-Sultan because of the mass protests to the whole country. A night curfew was imposed in both cities and freedom of movement was restricted there.
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Tokayev added that the riots were being led by “terrorist gangs” that had received support from unspecified countries. He also alleged that the protesters confiscated five planes in an attack on Almaty airport. From the town hall, however, it was said that the airport had been freed from rioters and that operations there were normal.
The protests were triggered by the increased energy prices.
(Photo: Reuters)
According to the Kazakh authorities, at least eight police officers and soldiers have already been killed. Several Kazakh Telegram channels published videos on Thursday night that are said to show military action against demonstrators in the urban area of the economic metropolis of Almaty. Shot noises can be heard on the recordings and people screaming.
The US State Department has called on security forces and protesters in Central Asian Kazakhstan for moderation and called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. “We ask all Kazakhs to respect and defend the constitutional institutions, human rights and freedom of the press, including the restoration of Internet access,” said the spokesman for the ministry, Ned Price, on Wednesday. The US urged all parties to find a peaceful solution to the state of emergency, Price said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for a peaceful solution on Wednesday. Problems had to be solved “within the framework of constitutional and legal provisions and through dialogue and not through riots in the streets”. “We hope for a quick normalization of the situation,” it said.
Experts took Tokayev’s call for help as a sign that he could no longer rely on his army. As a consequence of the protests, he had already dismissed the government on Wednesday and threatened to crack down on demonstrators.
The situation was initially confusing. There were no exact numbers of victims. In any case, it is the largest wave of protests in years in the former Soviet republic, which was ruled for decades by the ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The country with more than 18 million inhabitants borders among others with Russia and China. It is rich in oil and gas reserves. The republic is also one of the largest uranium producers in the world. Nevertheless, Kazakhstan is struggling with mismanagement and poverty.
The riots have spread to several cities in the country.
(Photo: imago images / ITAR-TASS)
How many thousands of people took part in the protests was unclear. The internet was shut down – presumably to make new meetings more difficult. Several television stations stopped operating.
On Wednesday, Tokayev addressed the people with a speech. He said: “The situation threatens the safety of all citizens of Almaty. That cannot be tolerated. ”The security forces would act“ as hard as possible ”. The president also spoke of fatalities in the riots.
The protest started over the weekend. The trigger was the significant increase in the prices for liquefied gas at the filling stations. Many Kazakhs use liquefied petroleum gas because it is cheaper than gasoline.
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