The inhabitants of oil towns in western Kazakhstan, Janaozen and Aktau, have been demonstrating since Sunday, January 2 against the rise in the prices of liquefied gas, used for vehicles. The government appears to take these gatherings very seriously.
With our correspondent in the region, Régis Genté
When a few thousand demonstrators gathered on Sunday to protest against the doubling of the price of liquefied gas, first in Janaozen then in Aktau, and in various towns in the Mangystau region, the authorities quickly went there. They listened to their demands, fearing that the prices of this fuel would increase that of other foodstuffs, especially food.
As of Monday, the government took measures to regulate the price of liquefied gas. The latter had risen in recent days from 60 to 120 tenges per liter, or from 12 to 24 euro cents, due to the establishment of an electronic price formation system.
The owners of gas stations agreed to drop it to 85 tenges per liter. This does not satisfy the demonstrators, supported by part of the inhabitants of the oil west of Kazakhstan, who threaten to strike on their deposits or in their factories.
The inflation which hits the country, corruption, the bad sharing of the oil manna, are as many factors which make fear a rise of the tensions in this ex-Soviet republic, managed in an authoritarian way.
Not only because, as everywhere in the world, the question of fuel prices is very sensitive, but also because ten years ago, in Janaozen, demonstrations related to the living conditions of the inhabitants had spread over weeks before that power does not shoot at the crowd, killing 14 people.
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