(Almaty) Gunfire erupted again Thursday in the streets of Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, in the grip of unprecedented riots that left “dozens” dead, with Russia sending troops to support the diet.
Long seen as the most stable country in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is shaken by an angry movement that erupted in the west of the country on Sunday after a rise in gas prices before reaching Almaty, the economic capital and greater Kazakh city, where the demonstrations turned into a riot against the current power, demonstrators seizing official buildings.
Facades of buildings blackened by flames, charred car wrecks, cartridge cases and traces of blood on the ground: Almaty bore the scars of this popular conflagration on Thursday, AFP journalists noted.
Willow, a 58-year-old protester who requested anonymity, said clashes erupted near the presidential residence on Wednesday between protesters and police firing live ammunition.
“We have seen deaths”, declares to AFP the demonstrator, who says she is “deeply disappointed” by the Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev, who accused groups of “terrorists” according to him trained abroad of be behind the riots.
The situation remains explosive, and bursts of guns resounded again Thursday afternoon in Almaty in the town hall area, set on fire the day before by rioters, according to AFP.
Troops Deployed
The toll of this violence is heavy: the police reported “dozens” of demonstrators killed and the Ministry of Health indicated that more than a thousand people had been injured, including 62 seriously.
Thirteen members of the security forces were killed and 353 wounded, according to state television which claimed that two police officers had been beheaded.
Called for help by the President of Kazakhstan, Russia and its allies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on Thursday announced the dispatch of the first contingent of a “collective peacekeeping force” to Kazakhstan .
Its mission will be “to protect state and military installations” and “to help the Kazakh security forces to stabilize the situation and restore the rule of law”.
Mr. Tokayev has so far failed to calm the protesters, despite a concession on the price of gas, the dismissal of the government and the establishment of a state of emergency and a night curfew. On Thursday, his government also announced the cap on fuel prices.
In parallel with the gestures of appeasement, the repression fell: the authorities announced Thursday that around 2,000 people had been arrested in Almaty alone.
Burned buildings
Images circulated in media and social media on Wednesday showed scenes of chaos with shops looted and some administrative buildings raided and set on fire in Almaty, while automatic weapon fire rang out in the city.
The demonstrators targeted in particular the town hall and the presidential residence in Almaty. The facade of the latter was blackened by flames and the entrance gate of the complex sunk, AFP found Thursday.
Elsewhere, police fired stun grenades and tear gas at the crowd but failed to prevent them from taking control of some administrative buildings.
As the internet was cut, the country’s financial institutions have suspended operations, as have airports in Almaty, the capital Nur-Sultan and the major cities of Aktobe and Aktau.
Mr. Tokayev assured Wednesday that “terrorist gangs” having “received extensive training abroad” were leading the demonstrations.
“Groups of criminal elements beat our soldiers, humiliate them, dragging them naked in the streets, attack women, loot shops,” he said in a televised address Wednesday.
“Get out, the old man!” ”
The anger of the demonstrators is particularly directed at the authoritarian former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81, who ruled the country from 1989 to 2019 and who retains great influence. He is considered to be the mentor of the current president, Mr. Tokayev.
“Get out, the old man!” », Chanted protesters. In Taldykourgan (south-east), protesters debunked a statue of Mr. Nazarbaïev.
Kazakhstan, the largest of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia and the region’s main economy, includes a large Russian minority and is of crucial economic and geopolitical importance to Russia.
Moscow called on Wednesday to resolve the crisis through dialogue “and not through street riots and the violation of laws”.
Paris, following Washington, London and the EU, called on “all parties” for restraint, including outside forces coming to the aid of the ruling power in Kazakhstan.