Associates of the former leader to share the wealth with the people

Russian-led forces will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days after helping to stabilize the Central Asian republic after serious unrest. This was stated by President Kasim-Zomart Tokajev, who in his speech took aim at the rich associates of his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In a video session with the parliament after what he said was a coup attempt, Tokaev appointed a new government headed by career civil servant Alihan Smailov.

In what appeared to be another attempt to distance himself from Nazabayev, Tokayev said the people's discontent over income inequality was justified and that he wanted associates of the former president to share their wealth with the people.

Many Central Asian analysts believe clan clashes within the elite may have played a major role in the former Soviet republic's deadliest violence since independence from Moscow 30 years ago.

As protesters torched buildings in the biggest city of Almaty last Sunday, Tokayev said Nazarbayev was stepping down as head of the powerful Security Council - where he continued to pull the strings even as he handed over the presidency in 2019.

Nazarbayev, 81, who led the country for almost three decades and supported Tokayev as his successor, has not appeared in public since then.

Thanks to Nazarbayev, "a group of very profitable companies appeared in the country, as well as a group of people who are rich even by international standards," Tokayev said.

"I think it's time for them to pay their dues to the people of Kazakhstan and help them on a systemic and regular basis."

He did not name names, but the list of the richest people in Kazakhstan includes several members of the extended Nazarbayev family.

Tokayev said that the financial system is dominated by large business groups "based on the principle of 'everything for friends, and laws for everyone else'."

He spoke about initiatives to reduce the wealth gap, increase taxes in the mining sector and eliminate irregularities in state procurement and areas where Nazarbayev's associates have business interests.

Betrayed by the security forces?

Tokayev also lashed out at security officials, accusing them of abandoning their positions and letting protesters get their hands on weapons and sensitive documents.

He accused Islamist radicals and "terrorists" trained abroad for the violence.

Tokayev said the Committee for National Security, Kazakhstan's successor to the Soviet KGB, not only missed the looming threat, but failed to react properly during the unrest. Officials of that authority left buildings in some cities and left firearms and confidential documents behind, he said.

The fact that the Russian-led forces summoned by Tokayev to help stabilize the situation were first deployed in the capital, Nursultan, fueled speculation at the time that their mission was to protect the government and Tokayev himself at a time when he could not fully trust his own security forces.

On January 5, Tokayev dismissed Karim Masimov as head of the National Security Committee (NSC). Masimov was then detained on suspicion of treason.

Putin declared victory

Tokayev, 68, last Sunday asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to send in troops at the height of the crisis, which he later described as an attempted coup whose unnamed instigators plunged the oil-rich country into violence.

The day before, it was reported that the CSTO mission had 2.030 soldiers and 250 pieces of military equipment. The US questioned the legitimacy and duration of the mission, prompting an angry response from Moscow.

Tokayev said on Tuesday that the CSTO's main mission had been successfully completed and that a gradual withdrawal would begin in two, with a full withdrawal within 10 days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared victory in defending Kazakhstan against what he says is an insurgency by foreign-backed terrorists.

Kazakh authorities say that order has largely been restored in the country of 19 million people and that nearly 10.000 people have been detained over the unrest and that the search for others is still ongoing.

"There is a silent terror in the country right now. Everyone is scared," Botagoz Isayeva, a Kazakh human rights activist in Sweden who is in contact with civil society groups inside the country, told Reuters.

She said that among those arrested were about 50 activists who were taken from their homes and since then nothing has been known about them.

Silent terror is currently reigning in the country. Everyone is scared, Kazakh human rights activist Botagoz Isayeva told Reuters

"We don't even know where they were taken or in what condition they are," said Isayeva, who represents a civil society coalition lobbying the European Parliament and the US Congress to crack down on corruption in Kazakhstan.

He believes that the reported number of victims of 164 seems too low, especially since Tokaev last Sunday issued an order to the security forces to shoot to kill what he called bandits and terrorists.

Authorities say initially peaceful protests over fuel price hikes have been hijacked by groups aiming to topple the government.

Assets of family and associates in the spotlight

Nazarbayev led Kazakhstan between 1989 and 2019, first as head of the Communist Party and then as president.

Several of his family members and former associates are among the richest people in Kazakhstan, according to Forbes magazine:

- Dinara Kulibayev, Nazarbayev's second daughter, and her husband Timur Kulibayev are the majority shareholders of Khalik Bank, Kazakhstan's largest lender by assets. The market value of their share is about 2,8 billion dollars.

- Kairat Boranbayev, the father-in-law of Nazarbayev's late grandson Aysultan, has interests in commercial real estate, is the owner of the McDonald's franchise in Kazakhstan and Belarus, and has interests in many other sectors.

- Bulat Utemuratov, former assistant of Nazarbayev, has interests in real estate development, banking and telecommunications. He owns a stake in global commodity giant Glencore and a branch of British school Haileybury in Kazakhstan, according to Forbes.

- Although "Forbes" does not list them, Nazarbayev's eldest daughter, Dariga Nazarbayev, and her son, Nurali Aliyev, own a property portfolio in Britain, which "The Times" estimates is worth 140 million pounds.

In 2020, they successfully fought against a warrant from the British National Crime Agency to seize three houses worth $80 million. Nazarbayeva claimed that her wealth was a legitimate product of her success as a businesswoman.

Her ex-husband, Rahat Aliyev, a wealthy former Kazakh government official, died in prison in Austria in 2015 while awaiting trial for murder.