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More people have been killed during the unrest in Kazakhstan than previously thought. A powerful power struggle has erupted in the country.
“At least 225 people have been killed during the state of emergency, and their bodies have been sent to the morgue,” the Prosecutor General’s Office in the Kazakh capital said. Among those killed in the city of Almaty and other parts of the country are 206 civilians and 19 police officers and soldiers.
On January 9, 164 deaths were reported. Authorities now say the death toll has risen to about 4,600 – twice as many as a week ago.
Strike against the former president’s clan
Meanwhile, two sons-in-law of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev have been fired as CEOs of major energy companies: Dimash Dosanov has resigned as chairman of the oil transport company KasTransOil, and Kakirat Charipbayev as chairman of the gas company KasakGas. The state fund of the former Soviet republic, rich in oil resources, did not provide any further information.
The dismissals show a fierce power struggle that has also resulted in violent protests. The reason for this in early January was the high rise in the price of gas, which is used for car fuel. The protests later escalated into anti-government demonstrations and riots across the country. More than 20,000 people are said to have been involved in the demonstrations, while more than 10,000 have been arrested.
President Kassym-Yomart Tokayev has called the riots an “attempted coup by terrorist forces”. He ordered his security forces to fire on the demonstrators without warning. Tokayev also blamed several companies for the protests, including KazakGas.
Fierce clashes
Tokayev took over the presidency in 2019 from Nazarbayev, who ruled Kazakhstan in an authoritarian manner for three decades. The transfer of power initially seemed successful. But during the riots, Tokayev had turned against his former mentor with extremely harsh words. He accused Nazarbayev, who is said to still have great influence in the country, of favoring a wealthy elite. Intelligence chief Karim Masimov, a close confidant of Nazarbayev, has resigned and been arrested on suspicion of “treason.”
In recent days the situation in Kazakhstan has stabilized as a result of a military operation led by Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Troops have been sent to Kazakhstan from Russia, Belarus, Armenia and the countries of Central Asia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. They started the withdrawal on Thursday, while the military mission should be completed by Wednesday./DW/
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