On December 19th early morning, several thousand people rallied in the west of the country against violence occurred over the last three days (15 dead), in particular in Zhanaozen. Around three thousand people gathered in Aktaou, the main city of the region, located on the east side of the Caspian Sea, to demand authorities an end to the violence and the withdrawal of security forces from the city of Zhanaozen.
On Friday and Saturday, violent clashes have been reported in the main square of the Zhanaozen and in the village of Shetpe, halfway between Zhanaozen and Aktaou. A state of emergency has been declared until 20th January 2012 in Zhanaozen; a curfew has also been enforced in the city until January 5th. The oil rich region has seen demonstrations in the main square of Zhanaozen since last May.
Several western embassies advice against travel to Zhanaozen’s region.
