ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Jan 6, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - A Russia-led military alliance
said it would send peacekeeping forces to "stabilise" Kazakhstan, blaming
mass protests that have plunged the ex-Soviet country into chaos on "outside
interference".

   Long seen as one the most stable of the ex-Soviet republics of Central
Asia, energy-rich Kazakhstan was facing its biggest crisis in decades after
protesters angry over rising fuel prices stormed government buildings.

   Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an address to the
nation early Thursday that he had appealed to the Russia-led Collective
Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which includes five other ex-Soviet
states, to combat what he called "terrorist groups" that had "received
extensive training abroad".

   The CSTO's chairman, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, then said on
Facebook that the alliance would send "collective peacekeeping forces... for
a limited period of time in order to stabilise and normalise the situation in
this country" that was caused by "outside interference".

   Tokayev said that "terrorists" were seizing buildings, infrastructure and
"premises where small arms are located."

   He added that they had also commandeered five planes at the airport in the
country's biggest city Almaty and said that Kazakhstan's air forces were
engaged in a "stubborn battle" near the city.

   "I intend to act as tough as possible," he warned in an earlier address.
"Together we will overcome this black period in the history of Kazakhstan."

   In Almaty on Wednesday night, AFP correspondents saw hundreds of
protesters -- some wearing helmets -- gathered in the city centre and
parading a police vehicle draped with Kazakh flags.

   Videos on social media showed protesters seizing weapons, while others
showed mostly empty streets with the sound of explosions and automatic
weapons firing in the background, after local authorities announced the start
of "anti-terrorist" operations.

   Protests spread across the nation of 19 million this week in outrage over
a New Year increase in prices for liquid petroleum gas (LPG), which is widely
used to fuel cars in the west of the country.

   Thousands took to the streets in Almaty and in the western province of
Mangystau, saying the price rise was unfair given oil and gas exporter
Kazakhstan's vast energy reserves.

   - Stun grenades, tear gas -

   After a night of unrest that saw more than 200 people detained, several
thousand protesters stormed the mayor's office in Almaty on Wednesday
afternoon and appeared to have seized control of the building.

   Police fired stun grenades and tear gas at the crowd, some armed with
batons and shields seized from police, but were unable to prevent them from
entering the building, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

   Local media said protesters then set their sights on the presidential
residence in Almaty. Both it and the mayor's office were reported to be in
flames.

   Kazakh media reported that at least eight police officers and military
servicemen were killed in the unrest, including two while clearing the
airport.

   The full picture of the chaos was still emerging after authorities
disrupted communications for several hours on Wednesday, including a
nationwide shutdown of the internet, the blocking of online messengers and
cuts to mobile phone services.

   The protests are the biggest threat so far to the regime established by
Kazakhstan's founding president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stepped down in
2019 and hand-picked Tokayev as his successor.

   Tokayev tried to head off further unrest by announcing the resignation of
the government headed by Prime Minister Askar Mamin early on Wednesday.

   He also announced he was taking over from Nazarbayev as head of the
powerful security council, a surprise move given the ex-president's continued
influence.

   But with protests escalating, the government late on Wednesday said a
state of emergency declared in protest-hit areas would be extended nationwide
and in effect until January 19.

   It imposes an overnight curfew, restricts movements and bans mass
gatherings.

   -'Old Man Out!' -

   Much of the anger appeared directed at Nazarbayev, who is 81 and had ruled
Kazakhstan since 1989 before handing power to Tokayev.

   Many protesters shouted "Old Man Out!" in reference to Nazarbayev and
images posted on social media showed a statue of the ex-president being torn
down. "Kazakhs are accustomed to patience, but we have grown tired,"
protester Rafik Jarylkasyn told AFP in Almaty. "We've had enough."

   Moscow, a close ally of the Kazakhstan regime, called for a "peaceful
solution... through dialogue, not through street riots and violation of
laws." The EU and the UN called for "restraint" on all sides, while
Washington urged authorities to allow protesters to "express themselves
peacefully."

   Kazakhstan's government tolerates little real opposition and has been
accused of silencing independent voices.

   Spontaneous, unsanctioned protests are illegal despite a 2020 law that
eased some restrictions on freedom of assembly.