The president of Kazakhstan, Kassym Jomart Tokayev, promised on Wednesday a “firm” response to the unprecedented protests in this country of Central Asial for the increase in the price of gas.
(You may be interested: Borrell promises Ukraine ‘full support’ of the European Union against Russia)
In the midst of this panorama, the president extended the state of emergency to the entire country after the increase in unrest.
The internet and mobile phones were blocked in this former Soviet republic on Wednesday after protesters stormed government buildings.
The protests began on Sunday after the increase in gas prices and spread Tuesday night to Almaty, economic capital of the country, when about 5,000 people gathered and were dispersed by the police.
“As president, I am obliged to protect the security and peace of our citizens, to care for the integrity of Kazakhstan,” Tokayev said in Russian on Kazakh television, promising that he would act “as firmly as possible.”
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of several thousand protesters stormed the Almaty administration building, managing to enter despite the firing of grenades and tear gas by the police, according to an AFP journalist.
This crisis is the biggest threat to date to the regime established by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led the country until 2019 but maintains great influence.
(Read here: NATO will hold a virtual meeting on Friday dedicated to Ukraine)
In an attempt to calm the situation, Tokayev sacked his government and decreed a state of emergency in several regions, including Almaty and the capital, Nursultan (formerly Astana, recently renamed in honor of the former president). In these areas there is a curfew from 23:00 to 07:00.
Protests are rare in Kazakhstan, an authoritarian country where any concentration must have the prior authorization of the authorities.
‘Internet failure’
On Wednesday, there was a “nationwide internet failure,” said Netblocks, a group specializing in network surveillance. This “may severely limit the coverage of escalating anti-government demonstrations,” the NGO added.
AFP correspondents in the country verified that the internet connection was irregular and that message applications such as Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp were not working.
Soon after, it was impossible to reach the journalists on their mobile phones. After the demonstrations on Tuesday night, shouting “government resignation” and “let the old man go”, alluding to former President Nazarbayev, more than 200 people were arrested, the Interior Ministry reported.
Russia, crucial to the economy of Kazakhstan, urged to resolve the crisis through “dialogue” and not “riots in the street.”
(In other news: What would a war between powers look like now)
Gas crisis
The movement against rising gas prices began at the weekend in the town of Janaozen, in the heart of the western Mangystau region, before spreading to Aktau, on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and Almaty.
At first, the government decided to reduce the price of a liter of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Mangystau from 120 to 50 tenges ($ 0.11) to “ensure the stability of the country”, although that did not appease the protests. The Kazakh population does not look favorably on the rise in gas prices, taking into account the large gas and oil resources available to the country.
The television reported on Wednesday the arrest of a director of a gas treatment plant and another person in charge in the Mangystau region. They are accused of having “increased the price of gas without reason”, which “caused massive protests throughout the country,” according to this medium.
Kazakhstan, the leading Central Asian economy with high growth, has been rocked by falling oil prices and the economic crisis in Russia.
AFP AND EFE
More news
.
#Kazakhstan #declares #state #emergency #unprecedented #wave #protests