5th January, 2022
Agency Report
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sacked the country’s cabinet Wednesday in a bid to head off unprecedented unrest.
The protests were ignited by an energy price hike.
More than 200 people were detained during protests that swept across Kazakhstan following a New Year increase in prices for Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is widely used to fuel cars in the west of the country.
Thousands took to the streets in the largest city Almaty and in the western province of Mangystau, saying the price rise was unfair given oil and gas exporter Kazakhstan’s vast energy reserves.
Clashes erupted in Almaty, with police firing stun grenades and tear gas into a crowd of more than 5,000 people that marched through central streets shouting anti-government slogans and sometimes attacking vehicles.
The interior ministry said 95 police officers were injured, saying protesters “succumbed to provocations” and “groups of citizens blocked roads and blocked traffic, disrupting public order”.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev moved with speed after the unrest, accepting the resignation of the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Askar Mamin.
He also imposed state of emergency in Almaty, the financial capital, and Mangystau province from January 5 until January 19.
An overnight curfew will be in place in both territories from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am, with restrictions on movement in and out of the areas.
Protesters in Almaty had dispersed overnight and the streets were also quiet in the capital Nur-Sultan.
Tokayev had called for a return to calm in a video posted on Facebook.
“The government will not be felled, but we don’t need conflict,” Tokayev said in the address.
The protesters in Almaty yelled “old man out” — a reference to Tokayev’s still-powerful predecessor and mentor Nursultan Nazarbayev — and “government resign” before police moved in, sparking battles with demonstrators.
Tokayev took office in 2019, handpicked as a successor by Nazarbayev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
One of five ex-Soviet nations in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is of crucial importance to Russia as an economic partner and home to a large ethnic Russian population.
Its authoritarian government tolerates little real opposition and has been accused of silencing independent voices and media.
Spontaneous, unsanctioned protests are illegal despite a 2020 law that passed easing some restrictions of freedom of assembly.
Limits appeared to have been imposed on the internet on Wednesday, with messenger apps Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp all unavailable.
Two independent media websites that reported on the protests also appeared to be blocked.