In Kazakhstan, dozens of protesters were killed by police

Whereas Moscow and its allies have announced that they will send A “Joint Peace Keeping Force”, There will be no tension on the streets of Kazakhstan. Law enforcement says protesters were killed by police in Almaty, the country’s economic capital, from Wednesday night, January 5, until January 6.

“Last night, extremist forces attempted to attack administration buildings, the Almaty City Police Department and local departments and police stations.”Police spokesman Saltonat Asirbek said that this was quoted by Interfox-Kazakhstan, DAS and RIA Novosti agencies. “Dozens of attackers have been removed and their identities are being identified.”, He added.

The health ministry also announced on public television that more than a thousand people had been injured in the protests. “More than a thousand people have been injured as a result of the unrest in different parts of Kazakhstan, nearly 400 of whom have been hospitalized and 62 are in intensive care.”, Said Deputy Minister Azar Giniat on the antenna of the Kabar-24 channel and was quoted by Interfox and DOS agencies.

On the police side, three hundred and fifty-three police officers were injured and 12 of them were killed, local news agencies reported. An action, according to a police spokesman “Anti-Terrorism” The riot is taking place in one of the most violent neighborhoods in Almaty. Images circulating in the media and on social media showed shops being looted and some administrative buildings being searched and set on fire in Almaty, while automatic firearms were heard.

Moscow sends its first group

Since Sunday, there have been massive protests in Kazakhstan, especially against rising gas prices. More than two hundred protesters were arrested, local police said. Russia and its allies announced on Thursday that they would send the first contingent of peacekeepers to Kazakhstan.

“The Joint Peace Keeping Force of the Joint Security Agreement [OTSC, qui regroupe l’Arménie, la Biélorussie, le Kazakhstan, le Kirghizistan, la Russie et le Tadjikistan] Sent to Kazakhstan for a period of time to stabilize and normalize the situation.Russia’s diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement in a telegram. On Wednesday evening, the president sought military assistance from Moscow, believing his country was being attacked by groups “Terrorists” With “Extensive training abroad”.

Earlier today, Tokayev declared a state of emergency across the region. The President promised“Act as firmly as possible” Against these demonstrations. “As President, I am concerned about the integrity of Kazakhstan and the need to safeguard the security and peace of our citizens.”, He announced in Russian on Kazakh television.

Liquefied natural gas price problem

Thousands of protesters besieged the Almaty administration headquarters on Wednesday afternoon. According to the agents France-Press-Press (AFP), the police threw stun grenades and tear smoke bombs, but they could not stop entering inside. Witnesses on local media and social media marched on the presidential residence in the city, where they set fire to the city administration building and a television station.

The main economies of Kazakhstan and the region, the largest of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia, have become accustomed to double-digit growth rates in the past, with falling oil prices and the economic crisis in Russia leading to its devaluation. Currency, tenz and high inflation. The outrage was actually triggered by the rise in the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the resource-rich city of Janochen in the west of the country, before it spread to the big city, the Octav region, over the weekend. , Located on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

On Tuesday evening, officials tried to calm the situation by lowering the price of LNG, which was set at 50 dengs (0.10 euros) per liter in the region against 120 dnc earlier this year. Justifying this regional concession, Mr. Tokayev explained on Twitter“To ensure stability in the country”, But this promise did not lead to the dissolution of the protesters, who demanded that they speak to the President. On Thursday, it was not possible to get a full view of the situation in the country, journalists and witnesses who could not be reached via internet or telephone.