The first week of 2022 witnessed the worst tragedy ever experienced by Kazakhstan since it became independent from the Soviet Union in December 1991. This short period witnessed President Kassym Jomart Tokayev emerge from the shadows and ruthlessly turn the tables on his mentor and patron Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had anointed him to the position of President in March 2019, when he suddenly decided to relinquish charge after having ruled the country for 30 years.
In his conversation with Charles Michel, the President of the European Union (EU) on 10 January, Tokayev termed the events of the last few days as “a terrorist attack … with the participation of foreign militants … mostly from Central Asian countries, including Afghanistan.” He said there were militants also from the Middle East. Armed militants were waiting in the wings and joined the protests.
In an address to the leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) the same day, Tokayev said it was an “attempted coup d’état”. According to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, the attackers included individuals “who have military combat zone experience in the ranks of radical Islamist groups”.