Almaty, Kazakhstan. New clashes broke out on Thursday in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s main city, following the arrival of Russian-led troops to help the government end the unrest that has already killed dozens and hundreds more.
The mobilization began last Sunday as a protest against the increase in the price of gas in this former Soviet republic in central Asia, rich in hydrocarbons.
The riots have left “dozens” of protesters dead, according to police, while more than 1,000 people have been injured and about 400 are hospitalized, 62 of them in intensive care, the health ministry said.
According to the government, cited by Russian agencies, 18 members of the security forces were killed and 748 wounded.
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Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev asked for help to combat what he called an uprising of “terrorist groups”, which he accused of having received “training abroad”.
Neighboring Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) announced the dispatch to Kazakhstan of the first contingent of a “collective peacekeeping force” and the first troops arrived on Thursday to help on the front lines.
To try to tackle the crisis, the government announced that it would impose a limit on fuel prices that will be in effect for 180 days.
The European Union (EU) expressed “concern” about the situation and the United States called a “peaceful” solution.
The spokesman for the US State Department, Ned Price, warned Russian troops not to try to take control of the country’s institutions, ensuring that the world will be alert to possible human rights violations.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx