Protests Continue In Provincial Kazakh Cities Amid State Of Emergency

As protests in Almaty grabbed the headlines, they also continued in provincial Kazakh towns such as Aqtau and Aqtobe on January 5, after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev declared a state of emergency in parts of the country. Unrest has spread quickly since demonstrations began in the western Kazakh region of Mangystau on January 2 over a sudden hike in prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a popular fuel used in vehicles in the oil-rich country.