At least eight people were killed and dozens of houses were set ablaze as hundreds of villagers clashed with people and each other to turn a Southern Kazakhstan village into warzone over a domestic conflict.
The brawl initially broke out in the outskirts of Masanchi, a settlement close to the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border, with reports of initially 70 people taking part in the skirmishes.
However, as soon as the time-passed by other people from the neighbouring village also joined them to lead the situation towards extreme violence.
Initially, the police were tasked to tackle the situation, however, after it slipped towards more violence, National Guard reinforcements were called in to bring the situation under control.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that a domestic conflict started the initial brawl and then provocateurs used it to start a bigger conflict as he directed the secret services to find those who stir up ethnic tensions and spread provocative rumors and misinformation.
#масанчи Казахстан, десятки раненых, 8 убитых в ходе погромов дунган казахскими националистами pic.twitter.com/SvVjEvfT1P
— Искандер13 (@13iskander131) February 8, 2020
Detailing the incident, Kazakhstan’s Interior Minister Yerlan Turgumbayev said while talking to local media that some provocateurs were filming the brawl as it unfolded, spreading the videos via messaging apps.
By midnight more people gathered, some coming from nearby villages to turn the area into a warzone. Authorities estimate around 400 people took part in clashes that left at least eight people dead and dozens were treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries.
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The crowd torched dozens of buildings and cars, making the vicinity look like a warzone. Footage circulated on YouTube shows cheering mobsters wandering around the burning houses.
Two police officers also sustained gunshot wounds as the mob attacked them.
In a clampdown carried out later, the police detained 47 people allegedly involved in the act as the country president has called for the prosecution of the culprits and care for the families of those killed or injured.
