by Olzhas Auyov
ALMATY (Reuters) – The President of Kazakhstan announced on Friday that he had authorized the police to open fire without warning to put an end to the disorders generated by the “terrorists”, the day after the arrival of Russian troops he had asked to participate in the repression of demonstrations.
After several days of protests, during which dozens of rioters were killed while several public buildings were set on fire and looted, the security forces appeared to have resumed control of the streets of Almaty, the largest city in the country on Friday morning. Kazakhstan.
However, gunshots rang out in the morning near the town’s central square, where Reuters journalists could see armored vehicles and armed soldiers.
President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev, after announcing in a statement released by his services that calm had almost been restored in the country, said during a televised address that the repression of those he qualifies as “terrorists” trained abroad will continue “to the end”.
“Constitutional order has been largely restored in all regions of the country (…) The local authorities are controlling the situation”, he announced in this press release, adding that “the anti-terrorist actions are ongoing. would continue until the activists were completely eliminated. “
He then specified during his televised address having “ordered the forces, the security authorities and the army to shoot without warning.”
“The activists have not laid down their arms, they continue to commit or prepare crimes. The fight against them must continue to the end and those who do not surrender will be annihilated,” he said. declared.
RUSSIAN SUPPORT
Protests began in the west of the country against a backdrop of inflation and rising energy prices, before gaining momentum on Wednesday, prompting the Kazakh president to call for Russia’s help in cracking down on what ‘he describes as a revolt fomented by internationally educated activists.
This protest is unprecedented in the history of Kazakhstan, a former independent Soviet republic since 1991 and led with an iron fist until 2019 by Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81 years old and still very influential even though he ceded the presidency. three years ago.
According to the Interior Ministry, since the start of the protests, 26 “armed criminals” have been “liquidated”, more than 3,000 other people have been arrested and 18 members of the security forces have been killed, but this balance sheet seems not to have been updated since Thursday.
For its part, public television reported 3,700 arrests. Internet being cut since Wednesday, it is difficult to determine precisely the extent of the violence in this country of 19 million inhabitants.
In his speech on Friday, Kassim-Jomart Tokayev also thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for his support in cracking down on the protest.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CTSC) – which links Russia to several former Soviet republics – said it would dispatch around 2,500 men who would stay from a few days to a few weeks in Kazakhstan.
Russia “stands by Kazakhstan’s side as any ally should,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.
The Russian Defense Ministry, quoted Friday by the Interfax agency, announced that an air rotation involving more than 70 aircraft had been organized to send Russian troops to Kazakhstan to participate in the supervision of the main airport of Almaty , picked up from protesters Thursday by government forces.
WESTERN CONCERNS
The Kazakh government for its part specified that the Russian reinforcements, which continue to arrive, were engaged neither in the combat, nor in “the elimination of the activists”.
The largest country in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, rich in natural resources, particularly oil and uranium, has so far enjoyed a reputation for stability which has encouraged significant foreign investment.
The unrest in the country has boosted world prices for oil and uranium.
With the internet cut-off in this country which also concentrates nearly 20% of global bitcoin mining operations, the computing power available to validate and secure cryptocurrency transactions has also been significantly reduced.
Several Western countries have already expressed their concern.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Friday reaffirmed her “great concern” about the situation in Kazakhstan, calling for “an end to violence and restraint” after a press conference in Paris, where she is this weekend for the inauguration of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union.
“We are both concerned, extremely vigilant, we called for de-escalation and we are also ready and mobilized to (…) be active” if necessary, added French President Emmanuel Macron, who welcomed him at the Elysee Palace for this press conference.
In Washington, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki clarified that the United States was closely monitoring the deployment of Russian forces in Kazakhstan, particularly monitoring the slightest human rights violations or any action “likely to lay the foundations for it. ‘an appropriation of the Kazakh institutions “.
(Report Olzhas Auyov, Tamara Vaal, Mariya Gordeyeva and Pavel Mikheyev, written by Peter Graff and Polina Devitt; French version Jean Terzian and Myriam Rivet, edited by Blandine Hénault)