Kazakhstan defense chief fired in wake of protests

Kazakhstan’s president fired his defense minister on Wednesday amid high tensions in the Central Asian country, which has been rocked by recent violent protests.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev fired Murat Bektanov, accusing the defense minister of lacking leadership and “commanding qualities,” Reuters reported.

“During the January events the armed forces, due to the fact that their leadership was highly uncertain and lacking in initiative, were unable to worthily fulfill the tasks assigned to them,” he said, according to Reuters.

Kazakhstan exploded into unrest earlier this month when the government lifted a price cap on fuel, leading to an increase in prices.

While the initial unrest centered on fuel prices, thousands of citizens poured out in the former Soviet nation to protest other issues. Government buildings were set on fire and protesters clashed with police in violent exchanges.

As of Jan. 15, 225 people were reported to have died during the clashes.

Russia’s Collective Security Treaty Organization aided the effort to quell the protests. By Jan. 13, around 12,000 people had been arrested, according to the International Crisis Group.

Tokayev has blamed international terrorists for the unrest and shaken up his administration in response to the incident. He also removed Nursultan Nazarbayev, a former Kazakhstan president, from his post as head of the Security Council, Reuters reported.

A state of emergency, first called on Jan. 5, was lifted this week.