president says constitutional order is “largely restored”

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday (January 7) that the order had largely been “restored” in the country after several days of unprecedented unrest and riots. “The police are working hard. Constitutional order has been largely restored in all regions”, said the head of state in a statement, adding that operations to restore public order would continue “until the total destruction of the militants”.

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“Local bodies have control of the situation, but terrorists are still using weapons and damaging citizens’ property.”, continued the Kazakh president. The Interior Ministry for its part announced that 26 “armed criminals” had been killed and 18 injured in the riots. He confirmed that all administrative buildings had been “released and placed under increased protection”, with 70 checkpoints established across the country.

In Almaty, the economic capital and where the riots were the most violent, “the forces of order and the armed and related forces ensure public order, the protection of strategic infrastructures and the cleaning of the streets”, he added. Russian troops and other countries allied with Moscow arrived Thursday in Kazakhstan to support the power in place, faced for three days with anger over rising gas prices, which turned into chaotic riots, especially in Almaty .

The violence, which left dozens dead and more than a thousand injured, continued Thursday with gunfire heard in the center of the city, which bore the scars of the clashes. Eighteen members of the security forces were killed and 748 injured. About 2,300 people were arrested.