Emergency Operation in Georgia Update, 29 August 2008

UNHCR discusses IDP shelter rehabilitation Today, in a meeting hosted by UNHCR, the Government of Georgia communicated its draft strategy and plans regarding temporary and long term solutions for IDP shelter issues.

The Minister of Refugees and Accommodation, Ms. Tamar Martiashvili, presented the new shelter strategy invited UNHCR to act as the co-coordinator of the shelter rehabilitation process. In addition to the co-ordination, UNHCR will serve as a link between the participating organizations and the Georgian Government.

The meeting was attended by the United States Agency for international Development (USAID), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Care Georgia, Danish Refugee Council (DRC) as well as other international and non governmental organizations currently active in Georgia.

The list of 34 buildings in dire need of rehabilitation, located throughout Georgia, has already been identified by MRA.

New arrivals at the tented Gori camp The tented camp of Gori received today 10 new IDPs from the village of Beloti, one of the Georgian villages close to the South Ossetian border.

According to the newly arrived, over half of the population of 217 abandoned the village in the early phases of the crisis but the newcomers reported that due to physical violence and looting and burning of the houses, flight from the village continues.

After more than 2 weeks of traveling by foot, these Beloti residents reached the city of Gori, finding accommodation in the tented camp. They had, however, to leave some 20 residents behind, notably the elderly population unable to travel by foot as other residents of the village left for the cities of Mtskheta, Rustavi and Tbilisi. “For those who could not walk, we left buckets of water by the bed and left” one of the newly arrived IDPs explained.

UNHCR Representation in Georgia¢ 0160 Tbilisi ¢ 2a Kazbegi Ave tel.: ++995 32 152 054 ¢ fax +995 32 385 422 ¢ e-mail: [email protected] Media c ontact: Melita H. Sunjic, Spokesperson ¢ Tel. +995 95 115460 ¢ e-mail:[email protected]

UNHCR continues monitoring the villages North East of Gori UNHCR assessment team today visited, for the first time after the recent crisis, the town Akhalgori, located in an isolated valley in the south eastern part of South Ossetia.

The team met with the local commandant – responsible of the security in the region, according to whom 40 percent of the population, both ethnic Georgian and Ossetians, have fled the area. Other interlocutors among the local population estimated the displacement rate to be up to 80 percent. He noted that some humanitarian assistance had been provided by EMERCON but shared UNHCR’s concern over the act that most medical staff of the local clinic had also left.

According to the commandant, some people are returning to the area and he invited all displaced, former inhabitants to return. Civilian traffic, including busses, was allowed to pass check points during the observation. Some return movement was observed by the team.

In Aghalgori and Mosabruni, the team observed that population of all age groups was visible in the street, however in limited number. On the road to Aghalgori and in the town itself, there was still a strong, visible presence of Russian and, respectively, Ossetian security forces.