Unrest allegedly forces Kyrgyz president to flee country
Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has fled the country following clashes between police and anti-government protesters, according to some reports, and the opposition claims to have set up a provisional government.
Reports vary regarding where the President could have gone. According to an unconfirmed report by the Russian news site Regnum, the head of the state was taken direct to the Manas airport and his plane took off in an instant.
Bakiyev’s destination is unknown, but the source says that “judging by the specifications, an aircraft of this type can only fly to one of the neighboring countries. Then he will need to refuel.”
The France Presse news agency also reported that President Bakiev left Bishkek on a small plane, quoting an unnamed source at the airport.
However, shortly after the Regnum report was published, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a person from Bakiev’s inner circle, who dismissed the information as false and said that the president remained at his workplace.
Russian news agency Interfax reported that three houses belonging to Kurmanbek Bakiyev's family were on fire. It also said that a group of people had started looting the houses.
Some suggest that Bakiyev is currently in Kazakhstan, which has been denied by Kazakh authorities and, moreover, the borer between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is now closed.
Other reports suggest that Kurmanbek Bakiyev is currently in the south of Kyrgyzstan, in the city of Osh, generally known to be the city where the most of his supporters live.
As of Thursday midnight the number of dead in Wednesday’s riots reached 47 and about 400 more people have been hospitalized with injuries. The headquarters report said most of the fatalities occurred in Bishkek, the nation’s capital, and the cause of death in most cases were gunshot wounds.
Erica Marat, a researcher at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington DC, told RT that the alleged escape of Kyrgyz President Bakiyev does not automatically mean the opposition has been victorious.
“I think at this point we can’t say if it was a revolution or not. We still haven’t heard what Bakiyev’s next steps are going to be. Until we hear from the president, we can’t claim victory for the opposition or from any other party. The president can still use force to protect his regime through his proxies inside Kyrgyzstan, and this can still lead to more bloodshed,” Marat said.
Watch the full interview with Erica Marat
Late on Wednesday evening the Kyrgyz opposition announced they had formed a provisional government headed by former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva. Further, the previous government has tendered its resignation in full, a representative of the opposition told RIA Novosti news agency.
“The opposition controls the power in the republic. The president’s whereabouts are unknown,” Otunbayeva told the press. She also said the most important task for the provisionary government is to maintain stability, protect human lives and prevent looting.
"I think we simply cannot remain indifferent. As citizens of this country we cannot stand and watch how it's being robbed – boldly and dishonestly. You might say it's not surprising and is typical of all former Soviet republics. But here, in Kyrgyzstan, they are doing it in a rude, savage and barbaric way. They are doing it with a high hand, and we simply cannot tolerate it any longer," Otunbaeva added.
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