Highlights
- There has been a civil war like situation in Kazakhstan and the rioters are slitting the throats of the policemen.
- At the same time, the policemen are also firing on the protesters and so far 48 people have died.
- Violent demonstrations continue in Almaty, the center of economic activity of the country.
Oil-rich Kazakhstan has become a civil war-like situation and rioters are killing policemen by slitting their throats. At the same time, the policemen are also firing bullets at the protesters. At least 48 people have died so far. This includes at least 18 policemen. Violent demonstrations continue in Almaty, the country’s largest city and center of economic activity. President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev has warned the protesters of strong action.
It is being told that a policeman was killed by beheading. Meanwhile, during the violent demonstrations in Kazakhstan, security forces shot and killed dozens of protesters. At the same time, 18 policemen have also died in the violence. The protesters entered government buildings and set them on fire. The government has also resigned after the demonstrations. Protesters again took to the streets in Almaty, the largest city in the Central Asian country, despite a strong response from the administration.
So far two thousand people have been arrested
A day earlier, they had entered Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Mayor’s office. Peace is said to be in the capital Nur Sultan. Russia’s ‘Sputnik’ news service reported that police personnel in the city were surrounded by a mob of about 200 people, after which they had to open fire. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, two thousand people have been arrested so far. Police spokeswoman Sultanat Azirbek told the state-run news channel ‘Khabar-24’ that several attackers were killed on Wednesday.
Khabar-24 quoted the city commandant’s office as saying on Thursday that apart from the death of 18 police officers, 353 law enforcement officers were injured. Kazakhstan is facing the fiercest protests since it gained independence from the Soviet Union three decades ago. The protests that began on Sunday over the steep hike in LPG fuel prices have shook Kazakhstan. The demonstrations that began in the west of the country spread to Almaty and the capital Nur-Sultan. Thousands of people have taken to the streets, allegedly carrying sticks and shields.
President vows to quell unrest
LPG is widely used as a vehicle fuel. The intensity of the protests is a sign of widespread discontent in the country. The country has been ruled by a single party since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In an attempt to address economic issues, the government on Thursday announced a 180-day price cap on vehicle fuels and a moratorium on increasing utility rates. President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev is trying to quell the protests. He has accepted the resignation of the government and resolved to quell the unrest there. He has blamed the terrorist group for the unrest.
The airport in Almaty and another city is closed. The Russian-led coalition Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said on Thursday it would send peacekeepers to Kazakhstan at the request of President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev. Kazakhstan shares its northern border with Russia and its eastern border with China. According to the CSTO, the Russian army has now reached Kazakhstan. Erbol Sutanbaev, a spokesman for the president of Kyrgyzstan, a member of the CSTO, said his country’s military would go after parliament’s approval and would not act on the protesters. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Thursday denied that China would be involved in the current crisis. He said whatever is happening in Kazakhstan is its internal matter and it can resolve it appropriately.
No leader or demand of protesters
Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev has declared a two-week state of emergency across the country, under which a night curfew will remain in force and religious prayers have been banned. This has shocked the Orthodox Christian population living in Kazakhstan, as they celebrate Christmas on Friday. The protesters seem to have no leader or demand. Many of the protesters raised slogans of ‘go old people’, apparently referring to the country’s first president, Nur Sultan Nazarbayev. He resigned from the post in 2019 but his influence is still there.
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