What is happening in Kazakhstan?.. Demonstrations, violence and orders to kill...

Kazakhstan has recently been living on a hot slate after the outbreak of demonstrations against the president and the government, which were marred by violence and hoopla; This led to dozens of deaths and injuries among the demonstrators and security forces.

Kazakh President Kassym Tokayev ordered the security forces to “shoot without warning” the protesters, whom he described as terrorists, criminals and murderers, declaring his refusal to fully negotiate with them, while Russia deployed forces to contain the unrest that swept across the country.

what is happening?
The causes of the crisis experienced by the ninth largest country in the world are due to the protests that erupted since last Sunday as a result of high fuel prices, and the consequent rise in consumer prices, as well as government policies that angered a large segment of the Kazakh people.

The protests escalated and quickly turned violent as police used tear gas and stun grenades against thousands of crowds in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city and former capital.

By Wednesday, a state of emergency was declared, but thousands continued to take to the streets, and violence erupted, shops were looted, and cars set on fire.. As news spread of internet outages in many parts of the country.

Russian intervention
As protests escalated, and the oil and gas-rich country declared a state of emergency, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia, comprising post-Soviet states) sent forces to maintain security and contain the unrest at the behest of the protest-engulfed Kazakh president. escalating.

Soon Russian and other forces spread from Kyrgyzstan and Armenia; To control the airport in the city of Almaty, while the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that “the peacekeeping units that were deployed in Kazakhstan have arrived at their locations to perform the tasks assigned to them.”

nature of conflict
Kazakhstan has a long border with Russia, and Moscow’s back garden is an important economic resource for the Russian bear. Because of its rich wealth in oil, gas, coal, and minerals; What makes it a great coveted by many powers, and explains its possession of about 7,000 kilometers of border with Russia, Moscow’s rush to deploy forces in the country that is currently in chaos.

The conflict between Russia and the West cast a heavy shadow over Nur-Sultan (the capital of Kazakhstan); The Russians accused the United States of fueling protests in the country, while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that Kazakhstan “will find it very difficult to limit Russian influence.”

“There is a lesson from recent history that once the Russians enter a country, it is sometimes very difficult to get them out,” Blinken told a news conference in Washington.

At the same time, Tokayev thanked his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin; And that was in the wake of the arrival of Russian forces to help him consolidate power in the country. The Kazakh president said that this force will remain in his country for a “limited period”, and that it is to ensure “the protection of strategic facilities.”