2/15/2020 Fire and fury - An ethnically motivated attack alarms multi-ethnic Kazakhstan | Asia | The Economist

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Asia Feb 13th 2020 edition

Fire and fury

An ethnically motivated attack alarms multi-

ethnic Kazakhstan
A Kazakh mob has attacked Dungans, a minority group of Chinese origin

Feb 13th 2020

MASANCHI

I n a bucolic setting, fringed by the snow-cloaked mountains of south-

eastern Kazakhstan, lie two adjoining villages separated by a eld of bleating
fat-tailed sheep. This week the ethnic Kazakhs of Qarakemer were going about
their business as usual, a man trotting down the main street on a horse,
children lugging milk home in pails. Their neighbours in Masanchi, a ten-
minute walk away, were contemplating a scene of devastation. A distraught
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villager whose shop had been torched in a mob attack over the weekend
gestured at two intact businesses among the charred ruins lining the main
street. “Look at that shop, and that one,” he said. “Their owners are Kazakh. They
didn’t touch them. Only the Dungans’ shops.”

On the night of February 7th Kazakhs armed with hunting ri es, iron bars, sticks
and stones went on the rampage in Masanchi and nearby villages inhabited by
Dungans—Muslims of Chinese descent, who have lived in Kazakhstan for
centuries but number just 72,000, or 0.4% of the population. The spark for the
violence seems to have been a row between drivers about who had the right of
way. A rumour spread that Dungans had attacked an old Kazakh man. The
attackers beat and shot Dungan villagers and set re to homes and businesses.
Ten people—nine Dungans, one Kazakh—were killed; 178 were wounded,
including 19 police o cers. Some 24,000 people ed to nearby Kyrgyzstan
seeking refuge, although many have since returned.

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Such savagery is rare in Kazakhstan, which considers itself a model of ethnic

harmony. It is home to more than 100 di erent minorities. Nursultan
Nazarbayev, the president from independence in 1991 until his resignation last
year, who still pulls the political strings, decreed this bewildering ethnic mix to
be an essential part of the national identity. His intention was to reassure ethnic
Russians, in particular, who in 1991 were almost 40% of the population
(nowadays they are less than 20%). His laudably inclusive stance helped ward
o ethnic strife—no small thing in Central Asia. Hundreds died in communal
clashes in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 for instance
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clashes in Kyrgyzstan in 2010, for instance.

But the ostrich-like taboo on discussing ethnic tensions has not made them
disappear. Some Kazakhs, conscious that in Soviet times they became a
minority within their own country, feel that they should now be pre-eminent.
Minorities, naturally, fear a surge in Kazakh nationalism, especially since Mr
Nazarbayev’s semi-retirement has introduced an element of uncertainty into
politics.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Mr Nazarbayev’s successor, has reacted forcefully,

promising that those guilty of mob violence will be punished and denouncing
“criminals” who “shout pseudo-patriotic slogans”. Yet most of the 90-odd
suspects arrested during the rampage have been released without charge, and
the authorities will not say how many remain in custody. Keeping both Kazakhs
and minorities happy while dispensing something that resembles justice will
not be an easy task. 7

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Fire and fury"

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