The government of Kazakhstan announced on Thursday that it will impose a cap on the price of fuels, following the wave of protests once morest the increase that left dozens dead and nearly 2,000 arrested in Almaty and that led to the deployment of a contingent of troops led by Russia.
The mobilization began to spread on Sunday through several provinces of this central Asian country due to the increase in gas prices and reached Almaty, the country’s main city, where a riot broke out.
According to reports, protesters stormed several government buildings on Wednesday, including the mayor’s office and the presidential residence, and on Thursday the clashes continued.
In the center of Almaty, an AFP correspondent recounted that bursts of gunfire were heard from the city hall headquarters, that there were charred carcasses, destroyed government buildings and shells in the streets, following this unprecedented wave of unrest.
Saule, a 58-year-old protester who requested anonymity, said there were clashes near the presidential residence between protesters and police firing live ammunition.. “We saw dead people,” he told AFP.
Faced with mounting pressure, Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev asked for help to combat what he called an uprising of “terrorist groups” that he accused of having received “training abroad.”
Neighboring Russia and its allies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) announced on Thursday the dispatch of the first contingent to Kazakhstan of a “collective peacekeeping force.”
To try to tackle the crisis, the government announced that it would impose a limit on fuel prices that will be in force for 80 days to “stabilize the socio-economic situation.”
This is the largest mobilization in decades in this country that was governed from 1989 to 2019 by Nursultán Nazarbayev, considered the mentor of the current president.
Tokayev tried to calm the situation by announcing the resignation of the cabinet, to no avail.
More than 2,000 detainees
In Almaty, which is the economic capital of the country, more than 2,000 people were detained, the Interior Ministry reported, cited by the TASS and Ria Novosti agencies.
According to official accounts, more than 1,000 people were injured in the riots and regarding 400 are hospitalized, 62 of them in intensive care.
On Thursday, police reported that “dozens” of protesters had been killed trying to seize administrative buildings and police stations.
In addition, 13 members of the security forces died, two of them found beheaded, and 350 were injured, according to state television.
State of emergency
To control the situation, the government imposed a curfew and declared a state of emergency.
Images disseminated by the media and social networks showed scenes of chaos, with shops looted and some administrative buildings raided and set on fire in Almaty, while shots of automatic weapons were heard.
But, there is not a complete picture of the situation, since there are disturbances in communications, a blockage of mobile signals, internet cuts and several messaging services.
Central Bank spokeswoman Oljassa Ramazanova announced the suspension of the work of all financial institutions in the country, where the internet does not work.
Airports in Almaty, the cities of Aktobe and Aktau and the capital Nursultán were not operational on Thursday following the cancellation of flights the day before.
As a result of the chaos, the price of uranium, of which Kazakhstan is one of the world’s leading producers, rose sharply, while the prices of domestic companies plummeted on the London Stock Exchange.
The country is also a center for Bitcoin mining, an activity that is also experiencing a sharp decline.
Former president Nursultán Nazarbayev, 81, is the target of some of the protesters’ outrage and in many protests the slogan “Get the old man out!” Is heard, in reference to his influence on politics.
The UK and France on Thursday joined calls from the EU, UN and Washington calling for restraint.
Kazakhstan, a country where there is little tolerance for opposition, is a key ally of Russia, but it also seeks to have fluid relations with the West and with China.
It is a major oil and gas exporter, which is why it has signed contracts with energy giants such as Chevron of the United States.
But many opponents criticize that widespread corruption means that this wealth does not reach ordinary people, who live on an average salary of less than $ 600 (530 euros).
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