Monday, January 10, 2022
“Concerns Submitted”
Fake blue helmets in Kazakhstan shake up the UN
They are one of the best-known symbols of the UN peacekeeping missions: the soldiers’ blue helmets. The fact that these are now also worn by members of the military when fighting the unrest in Kazakhstan causes a lack of understanding at the United Nations.
The United Nations has expressed concern about photos of Kazakh soldiers apparently wearing UN-labeled helmets during the serious riot. “We have conveyed our concerns to the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan,” said a UN spokeswoman. Security forces from UN member states are only allowed to wear the so-called blue helmets as part of a UN peacekeeping mission, it said. That is not the case in Kazakhstan.
The photos appeared at the end of last week from the Kazakh metropolis of Almaty. How exactly the soldiers got the helmets and why they wore them is still unclear. Kazakhstan is a member of the UN. Kazakh soldiers were involved in a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon until last year.
Kazakhstan, which shares borders with Russia and China, has been experiencing the worst unrest in years for more than a week. Displeasure over the rise in fuel prices at petrol stations in the oil- and gas-rich country turned into protests against the government. In addition to peaceful demonstrations, there were also violent riots, especially in the metropolis of Almaty.
President Kassym-Shomart Tokayev had used soldiers against demonstrators and also called on the Russian-led military alliance CSTO, which sent 2,500 soldiers to Kazakhstan. The troops would be withdrawn as soon as their task was completed and Tokayev said they were no longer needed, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an online conference of the alliance.
Kazakhstan wants to provide evidence
A spokesman for Tokayev said on Sunday that he expected the CSTO units to stay in Kazakhstan for no longer than a week. In addition to Russia and Kazakhstan, the alliance also includes Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Tokayev said the day-long unrest was an attempted coup which had emanated from a “single center”. “Under the guise of spontaneous protests, a wave of unrest broke out (…) It became clear that the main aim was to undermine the constitutional order and seize power.”
Islamic extremists trained abroad were also among the attackers. The main destination was the city of Almaty. If it had fallen, it would have paved the way for a takeover of the densely populated south and then the whole country, said Tokayev. Kazakhstan will soon provide evidence of this to the international community.
In Almaty itself, efforts to clear burned-out vehicles from the streets began during the day. Many shops opened again, and the Internet was available again for the first time since Wednesday. China said it is ready to step up cooperation with Kazakhstan on law enforcement and security issues and to help against interference from outside forces. According to experts, the People’s Republic is concerned that instability in its neighbors could threaten, among other things, energy imports and security in its western region of Xinjiang. This has a 1770 kilometer long border with Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is also the world’s largest uranium producer.