Kazakh President Tokayev Reveals Coup Attempt, Riots In Almaty Key

President Tokayev in a virtual meeting of state leaders CSTO. (Source: Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev revealed on Monday his country had gone through a coup attempt coordinated by what he called a "single centre" after the most violent unrest since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In a speech at an online meeting of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance via video link, President Tokayev said the order had now been restored in Kazakhstan, but the hunt for "terrorists" was ongoing.

"Under the guise of spontaneous protests, a wave of unrest broke out. It became clear that the main aim was to undermine the constitutional order and to seize power. We are talking about a coup attempt", he said, citing Reuters on January 10.

Demonstrations against rising fuel prices began more than a week ago, before erupting into wider protests against President Tokayev's government and the man he succeeded as president, 81-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"The main blow is against (the city of) Almaty. The fall of this city will pave the way for the takeover of the densely populated southern region and then the whole country. Then they plan to take the capital", he explained.

President Tokayev said a large-scale 'counter-terrorism' operation would soon come to an end along with the CSTO mission, which involved some 2,030 soldiers and 250 military hardware.

On the occasion, President Tokayev defended his decision to invite Russian-led troops into his country, saying doubts over the mission's legitimacy stemmed from a lack of information.

"Kazakhstan will soon provide evidence to the international community of what has happened. Sixteen members of the security forces were killed, while the number of civilian casualties is still being investigated", he said.