Violence and protests in Kazakhstan: why the country is sinking into chaos

Unprecedented unrest in Kazakhstan: The Central Asian Republic is through violent Protests against high gas prices have plunged into deep crisis. The government resigned on Wednesday. The most important questions and answers about the explosive situation in the southern neighbor of Russia.

What happened?

What began as a manageable protest against high fuel prices developed on Wednesday to violence and chaos. Protesters stormed the city administration and the residence of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to the head of state, there were also some fatalities. A state of emergency has been declared in several regions of the country. The situation was initially confusing. There were no exact numbers of victims.

How stable is the country – and what is the political situation?

Kazakhstan is ruled authoritarian. The current protests are the largest in years. For decades, until 2019, the former Soviet republic was ruled by the ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev. Even after his departure, the long-term ruler remained influential, for example as head of the Security Council. Tokayev has now announced that he has taken over this post. There was also speculation of an overthrow.

What drives people onto the streets?

The protest had started over the weekend. The trigger was the significant increase in the prices for liquefied gas at the filling stations. Many Kazakhs use liquefied petroleum gas because it is cheaper than gasoline. The government justified the higher prices with increased demand. Since the beginning of the year, gas trading has been carried out entirely on the energy exchange. Inflation rose sharply. The resentment in the population is great.

How did the escalation come about?

In the economic metropolis of Almaty Riots broke out in the south-east of the country. The Tengrinews news agency published videos showing flames at the city hall’s headquarters. Black smoke rose. Popping noises could be heard over and over again. Fires broke out in the President’s residence and other public places. Angry protesters broke windows and set cars on fire. How many thousands of people took part in the protests was unclear.

In the afternoon it was difficult to get an exact picture of the situation. The Internet was switched off – probably to make new meetings more difficult. Several television stations stopped operating. The airport is said to have been occupied. The authorities spoke of 500 injured in Almaty alone in the afternoon.

What is the President doing?

Tokayev said in a speech: «The situation threatens the security of all citizens of Almaty. That cannot be tolerated. ” The security forces would act “as hard as possible”. “Don’t respond to calls to storm official buildings. It’s a crime, “said the head of state, who has been in office since 2019. After his election there were also protests with hundreds of arrests.

The 68-year-old blamed «domestic and foreign provocateurs» for the current violence. Tokayev also ordered price cuts. Many demonstrators were not satisfied with that. Under public pressure, Prime Minister Askar Mamin resigned with his entire government. The previous Vice Älichan Smajylow took over the official business.

How are other countries reacting?

Neighbor Russia called for a peaceful solution. The EU has also expressed concern. Brussels called on the government to comply with international obligations. “The European Union calls on the authorities to respect the fundamental right to peaceful protest,” said a spokeswoman for the Foreign Service on Wednesday. The EU expects the demonstrators to protest peacefully and not incite violence.

With material from dpa