The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on Friday rejected any possibility of negotiation with the demonstrators and authorized the police to “shoot to kill” in order to quell the riots shaking the country.
He also thanked, during a televised address, his ally Vladimir Poutine for his help after the arrival on the spot of a contingent of Russian troops and other allied countries of Moscow to support the capacity.
“I ordered the police and the army to shoot to kill without warning,” said Tokayev, calling “absurd” calls, especially abroad, to negotiate. with the protesters.
“What kind of negotiations can we have with criminals, with murderers? We had to deal with armed and trained bandits […] They must be destroyed and it will be done soon, ”he said.
Kazakhstan, the largest country in Central Asia, is shaken by a protest that erupted Sunday in the provinces after a rise in gas prices before spreading to large cities, especially Almaty, the economic capital, where the demonstrations have turned into riots.
For Mr. Tokayev, Almaty was attacked by “20,000 bandits” with a “clear plan, well-coordinated actions and a high degree of combat readiness”. He said that “it is the free media and certain people abroad who are playing the role of instigator” of this crisis.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron for their part called for an “end to violence” and “restraint”.
But Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the “strong measures” taken by the Kazakh authorities against the demonstrators.
Order “largely restored”
Scorched vehicle carcasses and puddles of blood were still visible in Almaty on Friday afternoon, but traffic timidly resumed as armored police trucks patrolled the streets, AFP journalists said.
The facade of the town hall, set on fire on Wednesday with the presidential residence, appeared largely blackened and smoke still escaping from the windows.
Moscow said its military had already started “to perform the tasks assigned to them” in Kazakhstan and that Almaty airport had been “completely taken back under control”.
Earlier on Friday, Mr. Tokayev assured that “constitutional order has been largely restored in all regions” after days of violence, including exchanges of fire which left dozens dead and more than a thousand injured , according to the authorities.
The Interior Ministry announced that 26 “armed criminals” had been killed and claimed that all administrative buildings had been “freed and placed under increased protection”, with 70 checkpoints established in the country.
The police reported having 18 killed and 748 wounded in their ranks. More than 3,800 people have been arrested.
These figures could not be independently verified, however, and the government did not provide any toll for civilians excluding protesters.
“The anti-terrorist operation continues, the militants have not laid down their arms. Those who do not surrender will be eliminated, ”Tokayev added on Friday.
Anger against the ex-president
The authorities had initially tried to calm the demonstrations, without success, by conceding a drop in the price of gas, by sacking the government and by establishing a state of emergency and a night curfew throughout the country.
Beyond the rise in prices, the anger of the demonstrators is particularly directed against the authoritarian ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has made no public appearance since the start of the unrest.
The 81-year-old ruled the country from 1989 to 2019 and retains great influence. He is considered the mentor of the current president.
Kazakh opponent Mukhtar Abliazov, a political refugee in France, assured AFP on Friday that a “revolution” was underway in his country and denounced the “occupation” of Kazakhstan by forces from Moscow.
“I consider that this is the end of the regime, the question is only how long is it going to take,” he said.
Some Kazakh media claimed that Mr. Nazarbayev and his family had left Kazakhstan, but this information could not be verified from an independent source.