The government of Kazakhstan announced this Thursday (6) that it will impose a limit on fuel prices, after the wave of protests against the increase that left dozens of people dead and around 2,000 detained in Almaty and that led to the mobilization of a contingent of troops led by Russia.
The mobilization began on Sunday to spread to several provinces of this Central Asian country due to the increase in gas prices and reached Almaty, the main city in the country, where an uprising broke out.
Witnesses said protesters ransacked several government buildings on Wednesday, including the mayor’s office and presidential residence. The clashes continue this Thursday.
In downtown Almaty, an AFP correspondent heard bursts of gunfire from city hall, observed charred vehicles, destroyed government buildings and carcasses in the streets after this unprecedented wave of riots.
A 58-year-old protester, who requested anonymity, said clashes had erupted near the presidential residence between protesters and police, who were firing live ammunition. “We saw dead people,” he told AFP.
Faced with mounting pressure, Kassym Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, called for help in fighting what he called an uprising by “terrorist groups” who he accused had received “training abroad.”
Neighboring Russia and its allies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (OTSC) on Thursday announced the dispatch of the first contingent of a “collective peacekeeping force” to Kazakhstan.
To try to ease the crisis, the government announced that it would impose a cap on fuel prices, which will be in effect for 80 days to “stabilize the socioeconomic situation”.
This is the biggest mobilization in decades in this country, which was ruled from 1989 to 2019 by Nursultán Nazarbáyev, considered the mentor of the current president.
Tokayev tried to defuse the situation by announcing the cabinet’s resignation, to no effect.
– More than 2,000 detainees –
In Almaty, which is the country’s economic capital, more than 2,000 people were arrested, informed the Ministry of Interior, cited by agencies TASS and Ria Novosti.
According to official accounts, more than 1,000 people were injured in the disturbances and around 400 are hospitalized, 62 of them in the ICU.
This Thursday, police said that “dozens” of protesters died as they tried to take over administrative buildings and police stations.
In addition, 18 members of the security forces died, two of them found decapitated and 700 were wounded, according to state television.
– Emergency state –
To control the situation, the government imposed a curfew and declared a state of emergency.
Images published by newspapers and social networks showed scenes of chaos, with shops looted and some administrative buildings invaded and set on fire in Almaty, while automatic weapons fired.
However, there is no complete picture of the situation, as there are complications in communications, a blockage of cell phone signals, interruptions to the internet and various messaging services.
Central Bank spokeswoman Oljassa Ramazanova announced the suspension of work by all financial institutions in the country, where the internet does not work.
The airports of Almaty, the cities of Aktobe and Aktau and the capital Nursultan were not working today after 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 main producers, rose sharply, while the prices of domestic companies plummeted on the London Stock Exchange.
The country is also a center for bitcoin exploitation, an activity that is also suffering a sharp decline.
Former President Nursultan Nazarbáyev, 81 years old, is the target of part of the indignation of the protesters and in many protests the slogan “Out of old!” is heard, in reference to his influence in politics.
The United Kingdom and France joined on Thursday the appeals of the EU, UN and Washington, which called for moderation.
Kazakhstan, a country where there is little tolerance for opposition, is a key Russian ally, but it also seeks to have fluid relations with the West and China.
It is a major oil and gas exporter, so it has signed contracts with energy giants like American Chevron.
But many opponents criticize that widespread corruption means that this wealth does not reach the common people, who live on an average salary of less than 600 dollars (€530).
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