Kazakhstan Fire in Russian backyard
Protests Discontent over gas prices puts Kazakhstan's president on the ropes
The president of Kazakhstan, Kassim-Jomart Tokayev, yesterday gave orders to shoot to kill to deal with the riots organized
by protesters that he considers "bandits and terrorists"
. Those who do not surrender will be "destroyed," he threatened in a televised speech that seems to herald a prolonged crackdown. He also lashed out at the country's "supposedly free media"
and foreign-based newspapers for fanning the flames of unrest
.
During his address, the Kazakh leader expressed "special thanks" to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the promptness and spirit of camaraderie with which he responded to his request for assistance. Tokayev requested this week - after being cornered and verifying that his concessions and rectifications did not calm the violence in the streets - the help of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). With several cities on fire,
he called on Moscow and its allies to send peacekeepers to deal with "the terrorist threat"
and attempts to undermine the integrity of the Kazakh state. The CSTO, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, responded immediately to the request. The first contingent arrived on January 6.
Vladimir Putin has contributed paratroopers to
an international force that may exceed 2,500 men
, according to Russia's RIA Novosti agency.
The Russian president has discussed the situation with Tokayev in several phone calls during the crisis, the Kremlin reported yesterday.
Russian troops have already taken under control the airport in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan and the epicenter of the unrest in recent days.
They also guarantee the security of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation and other important facilities, reported the Russian agency Sputnik.
Russian minority
Although Kazakhstan has a significant Russian minority, and the north of the country has at times been tempted to rebel, Russian-Kazakh relations have generally been friendly since the end of the USSR.
Russia has to be careful not to spoil its projection over the country as happened in Ukraine
. "This is a peace mission. The CSTO soldiers will not be involved in combat missions," said the first deputy chief of the presidential administration, Daurén Abáev, in an interview with the Khabar 24 television channel.
Abáev denounced that on the protesters' side "there were snipers with special rifles
. "
The protesters in Almaty appear to come mainly from the outskirts of the city or from surrounding towns and villages.
The violence has taken many residents of the city by surprise
, who tend to present their country as an advantageous student compared to other former Soviet republics in Central Asia, more repressive and unstable.
As described by Reuters, the police patrolled the streets of Almaty yesterday, many full of rubble, after the worst week of violence that Kazakhstan has experienced since its independence.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh president
assures that the constitutional order has been largely recovered
. "Yesterday, the situation in Almaty, Aktobé and in the province of Almaty gradually stabilized. The introduction of the state of emergency is beginning to give results," said Tokayev, who revealed
that the violence was organized from "a single command post"
. giving instructions to a group of some 20,000 "bandits". Tokayev did not explain who is allegedly shaking or leading these disturbances from behind the scenes. "The anti-terrorist operation continues, the militants have not laid down their weapons, they continue to commit crimes and prepare for more. The fight against them must be completed.
Whoever does not surrender will be destroyed!
"Claimed the president. Tokayev assures that he will not dialogue with those he considers" armed bandits "and affirms that some have been brought from other countries." From abroad they urge me to negotiate between the sides, to solve the problems politically. What stupidity! Is it possible to negotiate with criminals and murderers? "
Tokayev has used the protests - which have toppled symbols and statues from the Nursultan Nazarbayev era - to oust the 81-year-old former president from his post as head of the powerful Security Council, a watchtower with which he continued to intervene in politics. of the country
after leaving the armchair in 2019 after almost three decades in power
.
"For years, the government has relentlessly persecuted peaceful dissent, leaving the Kazakh people in a state of turmoil and despair," Marie Struthers, Amnesty Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, denounced yesterday.
30 dead
More than 3,700 people have been arrested in connection with the violent riots that have shaken several regions these days.
About 30 people have died
. It all started in the form of protests over the rise in prices of liquefied gas in the southwest of the country. Now for the protesters the government seems to be the main problem.
The Kazakh authorities decreed a state of emergency until January 19.
Access to foreigners has been banned and internet connection has only returned in some regions of the country.
The phone works fitfully and there are few reliable independent means of communication.
The Kazakh Chamber of Entrepreneurs (Atameken) estimates the damage caused by the disturbances to the national economy at more than 88 million euros.
The bulk of this sum corresponds to the damage that Almaty has suffered
.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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