Kazakhstan has imposed a state of emergency across the country after protests flared up into clashes over rising fuel prices, that witnessed picketers commotion near government buildings, multiple news agencies reported.
Russian news agencies Interfax, TASS and RIA Novosti reported the state of emergency, quoting a statement shown on Kazakh state television.
States of emergency had earlier been imposed in the epicentres of the rallies – financial capital Almaty, the Mangystau province, and capital Nur-Sultan.
Earlier yesterday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev vowed to take tough action to quell deadly protests that posed the biggest challenge to the country’s leadership in decades.
The demonstrations started over the weekend in western Kazakhstan over a jump in fuel prices but quickly spilled into broader discontent drawing thousands to the streets across the country.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko discussed the unrest in Kazakhstan in separate conversations on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Belarusian news agency Belta said.
