Clashes in Kyrgyzstan over Canadian-run gold mine

Unrest near a Canadian-run gold mine in Kyrgyzstan's northern mountains has prompted a clampdown. Authorities say 92 people were arrested and 55 injured in clashes with police. Locals want the mine nationalized. 

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev reacted on Friday to protestors' demands that the Canadian-run Kumtor gold mine be nationalized by declaring a state of emergency and a curfew in the Dzhety Oguz district near the mine.

On Thursday night, protestors stormed a substation and cut power to the open-cast pit, demanding that the government cancel a 2009 deal with the mine's operator, Centerra Gold.

Local media said 3,000 local villagers then clashed on Friday with police while demanding the release of those arrested. A bus transporting security forces was set on fire.

The mine is located at 4,000 meters altitude near Kyrgyzstan's scenic Lake Issyk Kul and contributes 12 percent to Kyrgyzstan's gross domestic product.