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Ethnic Clashes in Kazakhstan Leave at Least 8 Dead as Villagers Brawl, Torch
Houses

AsylkhanMamashuly

   MASANCHI, KAZAKHSTAN - Villagers brawled in ethnic clashes in a
   southern Kazakh district, with groups of men torching houses,
   overturning carsand sending hundreds fleeing into neighboring
   Kyrgyzstan. At least eight people were killed.

   The clashes, which erupted overnight Saturday, were some of the worst
   ethnic violence in years in theZhambylregion, located about 130
   kilometers west of Kazakhstan's commercial capital, Almaty.

   The regional governor declared a state of emergency late Saturday, amid
   fears that more violence could erupt.

   It was unclear what sparked the violence, which pitted ethnic Kazakhs
   againstDungans, a Muslim group of Chinese origin.

   Old grievances

   Several Kazakh men who spoke to RFE/RL said there were long-standing
   grievances between the two groups, with much of the Kazakhs' resentment
   focused on the Dungan population's successes in business and commerce.

   Dungansmake up much of the population inMasanchi, which was the
   worst-hit village, and many of the town's businesses are controlled by
   Dungan families.

   Several other outlying villages also reported clashes overnight.

   Kazakh law enforcement deployed riot police to the area Saturday, hours
   after the overnight fighting. RFE/RL correspondents reported long lines
   of police, holding riot shields and truncheons, along roads in the
   region.

   Interior MinisterErlanTurghymbaevsaid at least 40 people were injured
   in the clashes, and at least 47 people arrested or detained.

   Detainees released

   Groups of mainly Kazakh men massed near the cordon of police later
   Saturday, calling for those detained to be released. The group later
   dispersed after officials said 47 detained people had been released
   inKordai, about 50 kilometers west ofMasanchi.

   Both towns sit close to the border with Kyrgyzstan.

   InMasanchi, many shops and other buildings had been smashed or torched
   in the unrest. Firefighters were seen in the village and elsewhere,
   watering down smoldering debris.

   HalimaIserova, a Dungan woman in her 50s fromMasanchi, said her brother
   had been killed in the violenceovernight.

   "Those responsible for these crimes should be punished, not us," she
   told RFE/RL.

   On Saturday, groups of mainly ethnicDunganscould be seen lining up
   along the Kyrgyz side of the border, while on the other side of the
   border,Dunganshanded out food and offered medical assistance to those
   coming across.

   Nearly 20 people were reported seeking medical care in Kyrgyzstan, with
   at least two being taken to the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, for treatment.

   At a hospital inTokmok, a Kyrgyz town not far from the
   border,KharsanSubakhunov, a Kazakh truck driver, said there had been
   rumors spreading in the village prior to the outbreak of fighting,
   though it was unclear exactly what they were.

   "It was scary. [I was worried] about the [safety] of my family. We
   stood guard to defend them. ... Someone had been spreading fake news
   --people had been duped [into believing them], and innocent people
   ended up suffering,"Subakhunovtold RFE/RL.

   Homes, shops, vehicles damaged

   At a news conference in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan,Turghymbaevsaid
   30 homes, 15 shopsand 20 cars had been damaged inMasanchiand other
   villages in the region.

   Footage circulating on social media late Friday showed young men, some
   armed with clubs, marching along the road of a village in the area with
   buildings on fire. Many of the videos could not be independently
   verified.

   In an unscheduled televised appearance,
   PresidentQasym-ZhomartToqaevsaid he had ordered security agencies to
   prosecute those spreading hate speech and "provocative rumors and
   disinformation."

   "The most important thing now is to calm the population
   down,"Toqaevsaid.

   RFE/RL Kazakh service correspondentAssylkhanMamashulyreported
   fromMasanchi; RFE/RL Kyrgyz service correspondentAikolNurlanbekreported
   from the Ken-Bulunborder checkpoint;DamranIgamberdievcontributed
   reporting.

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