Unrest in Kazahkstan is continuing, and the president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has called on a Moscow-led security alliance to provide “peacekeeping troops” to help him regain control.
With a mobile reception and internet blackout across much of the country, reliable figures on casualties are hard to come by, but there have been violent clashes in Almaty and other cities. Tokayev has promised a ruthless crackdown and blamed “terrorists” trained abroad for the violence.
What are the protesters angry about?
The protests started at the weekend and were sparked by rising fuel prices in the west of the country. They quickly spread to encompass other regions and turned into a general protest against corruption, poverty and inequality. Protesters are angry with Tokayev and benefactor Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled Kazakhstan between independence in 1991 and 2019 and has remained powerful behind the scenes.
What are their demands?
The protesters want reform and better standards of living, but they are not coordinated and do not have an overall leader. There are no strong opposition politicians and there is no obvious alternative government in waiting, mainly because the authorities have not allowed any opposition politics in recent years.
Where is Nazarbayev now?
Nazarbayev has not spoken publicly since the protests started and there are rumours he may have left the country. Protesters in one city pulled down a statue of him. His image as the “leader of the nation”, a personality cult built over years, has unravelled dramatically in a matter of days.
What is the CSTO and why is it intervening?
The Collective Security Treaty Organization comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It is a mutual defence pact but is not meant for internal issues. This is probably why Tokayev presented the protests as the work of “terrorists” who had been trained abroad, without giving any detail.
How is Russia involved?
Kazakhstan shares a long border with Russia and has a sizeable ethnic Russian population. The decision for the CSTO intervention came just as Russia has demanded security talks with the US over Ukraine and amid fears of a Russian intervention there. In the longer term, the situation will be alarming for Vladimir Putin, who may have looked at the “Nazarbayev option” as a way to leave office one day without fearing retribution.
What happens next?
The situation is extremely unpredictable, and with an internet and telephone blackout across much of the country on Thursday, much remains unclear. With the protest mood far from crushed and Tokayev issuing tough rhetoric, there is the potential for more violence.
