Kazakhstan Update: Russia-led bloc approves peacekeeping deployment

“Peacekeepers” from a Russia-led military alliance of post-Soviet states will be sent to Kazakhstan. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The alliance decided to send collective “peacekeeping forces” for a “limited” period of time. The move comes after deadly protests against a hike in fuel prices.

• The move follows an appeal from the Kazakh president for help from the alliance after unrest broke out. Eight police officers and national guard personnel were killed in riots in different regions of the country, local media report.
• President Tokayev accuses protesters of undermining the “state system” and claims they have received military training abroad. The protests were sparked by a decision by President Nursultan Nazarbayev to lift price controls on gas imports. Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) because of its low cost.
• The move comes just hours after President Nursultan Nazarbayev asked allies for help amid violent unrest gripping the nation. He claimed that “terrorists” were overrunning strategic facilities across the country.
• The CSTO Collective Security Council has decided to send the Collective Peacekeeping Forces to the Republic of Kazakhstan in accordance with Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty. “In response to the appeal by [President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev] and considering the threat to the national security and sovereignty of Kazakhstan,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a statement on Facebook.
• Protests in Tajikistan over high gas prices have devolved into violence, with some protesters reportedly looting military sites and attacking police forces. The protests began earlier this month after the end of government price controls resulted in a significant increase in liquefied gas prices. Despite President Tokayev’s agreement to temporarily resume the policy in response to demonstrators’ requests, the protests have only intensified.

On Wednesday, a statewide state of emergency was announced in an attempt to end the disaster, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of people being displaced. As part of an UN-brokered pact to halt months of unrest, the CSTO peacekeepers will be deployed alongside local police and the army.