Tokayev has promised a ruthless crackdown and blamed “terrorists” trained abroad for the violence. The protests started at the weekend and were sparked by rising fuel prices in the west of the country. 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. Nazarbayev has not spoken publicly since the protests started and there are rumours he may have left the country. This is probably why Tokayev presented the protests as the work of “terrorists” who had been trained abroad, without giving any detail.

Source: The Guardian January 07, 2022 13:11 UTC