The Kazakh president attacked his powerful predecessor on Tuesday, for the first time after bloody riots, and announced the imminent withdrawal of foreign troops led by Russia, who had come to the rescue.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has also appointed a new ministerial cabinet, as this vast Central Asian country was rocked last week by violence never seen since its independence in 1991. These have left dozens dead and hundreds injured, and led to the arrest of some 10,000 people.
Mr. Tokayev accused his mentor and predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev, of having favored the emergence of a “rich caste” dominating this state teeming with hydrocarbons, an unprecedented criticism of the one who holds the honorary title of “head of the nation” and who until now benefited from a cult of personality.
During the unrest, protesters chanted their anger at the 81-year-old former leader. Since then, rumors of Mr. Nazarbayev’s flight abroad have multiplied, but the Kazakh authorities have not given any information on his location.
If the episode of riots is qualified as a foreign “terrorist” aggression by the authorities, the violence broke out after demonstrations against the rise in fuel prices, against a backdrop of a deterioration in living standards and endemic corruption in this former country. -soviet republic.
UN human rights experts on Tuesday denounced an incorrect use of the term “terrorist” by the Kazakh authorities, also condemning the use of lethal force against rioters.
France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, called on members to “fully” respect Kazakhstan’s sovereignty and to launch a dialogue which would lead to a de-escalation of the crisis.
“Caste of very rich people”
Launching a frontal attack on his mentor, Mr. Tokayev accused him of being responsible for the emergence in the country of “a caste of very profitable societies, of very rich people”. “I think the time has come to pay a tribute to the people,” he said.
He therefore wants the elites who “in the shadows” have “huge funds”, as well as the big companies, to supply a fund which will benefit the population.
The first sign in this direction, Mr Tokayev announced on Tuesday that he planned to end a much-criticized private monopoly on waste recycling, linked to Mr Nazarbayev’s youngest daughter, Alia, 41.
Another of her daughters, Dinara, and her husband, Timur Kulibayev, who are among the richest people in the country, control the big Halyk bank and have significant weight in the key oil sector.
The eldest daughter Dariga’s political career, notably in parliament, has meanwhile been marked by a series of controversial statements, with reports also lending her important business interests.
One of Mr. Nazarbayev’s allies, Karim Massimov, was arrested on Saturday for high treason after being sacked from the head of the secret service.
“Gradual” withdrawal of the Russians
The riots had led Tokayev to call in to the rescue some 2,000 men from a Russian-led military force. According to him, their mission being accomplished, their withdrawal can begin this week.
“The gradual withdrawal of the unified contingent of the CSTO [Organisation du traité de sécurité collective] will start in two days. This process will not take more than ten days, ”Tokayev said.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Choïgou said on Tuesday that the departure would take place once the situation “fully stabilized” and “on decision” by the Kazakh authorities.
The commander of the CSTO contingent, Andrei Serdyukov, indicated that a plan to hand over the custody of the sites protected by his troops to the Kazakh forces was being drawn up. According to him, the rapid deployment of his contingent made it possible to “stabilize the situation” in the country.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had guaranteed that the CSTO troops were there “for a limited period”.
In Almaty, many residents welcomed this contingent with relief. “I welcome the cooperation with Russia,” Roza Mataïeva, a 45-year-old professor, told AFP. “I think there is no threat to our sovereignty. “
The most serious violence took place in this city, the economic capital, where many public buildings were ransacked and businesses looted, while rioters and Kazakh forces clashed in armed clashes.