Danish Refugee Council ASF / Danish People’s Aid North Caucasus Situation Report No. 50 DRC/ASF PROGRAM OF EMERGENCY AND REHABILITATION ASSISTANCE TO THE VICTIMS OF THE ARMED CONFLICT IN CHECHNYA 30 June 2002 In the news The DRC wishes to stress that the content of this particular chapter are quotes from the Russian and international press and do not necessarily express the opinion of DRC. The head of the government of the Republic of Ingushetia, Akhmet Other News Malsagov, has unexpectedly tendered his resignation, the republican government's press-service reported on June 12. The press service The authorities of the Chechen did not specify the reasons behind Malsagov's move, noting that it Republic could accommodate the was the minister's personal decision. It is not known whether the Chechen refugees residing in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, Federal Minister for resignation is to be accepted by Ingushetia's President Murat Chechen Affairs Vladimir Yelagin told a Zyazikov, who is not present in the republic at the moment. Malsagov press conference on June 3. "I think we retained the post of prime minister after Zyazikov was elected are capable to ensure social and president, but only managed to work in the new team for about three economic rehabilitation for temporarily weeks. [RIA-Novosti] displaced persons from Pankisi," he said. In his opinion, it is not that easy to More than half of the approximately 150,000 people forced from their solve this problem because of complex homes during the current Chechen conflict are mothers and children, relations with the Georgian authorities. and some 3,500-5,000 minors have fallen victim to land mine [RIA Novosti] explosions since the beginning of the first Chechen war in 1994, the A total of about 147,000 migrants from top U.N. children's rights advocate said on June 17. "The incidence Chechnya have been registered in of land mines in Chechnya is among the most extensive of anywhere Ingushetia, the head of the Russian in the world," said U.N. Undersecretary-General Olara Otunnu, the Interior Ministry's Federal Migration international organization's special representative for children and Service, Andrey Chernenko, said at a armed conflict. [Radio Freedom] press conference on June 13. The migrants are currently residing in tent Chechen Prime Minister Stanislav Ilyasov estimates the damage camps and in the private sector. He done to the republic over two military campaigns at 18-20 billion also stressed that 2,500 volunteers had returned from Ingushetia to Chechnya rubles. "20 billion rubles are not the only consequences of fighting, over the last two months. The forced but also the losses from embezzlement and the depletion of basic migration problem "can be resolved as production funds," the Interfax news agency quoted Ilyasov as saying early as this summer if the direction on June 18. Earlier in the day Ilyasov attended a roundtable session financial flows is changed," he on economic and social reconstruction in Chechnya. By the Chechen Chernenko. premier's estimate, 86 billion rubles will be needed to restore the republic. He recalled that annual budget and extra-budget allocations Representatives of the government of republic. He recalled that annual budget and extra-budget allocations the Chechen Republic told the press on for these purposes range from 14-15 billion rubles. "These are the June 5 that over 40,000 Chechen sums to proceed from," Ilyasov said. [Interfax] refugees who are now in the republic of Ingushetia refused to return to their native republic. However, the officials Chechen Prime Minister Stanislav Ilyasov announced on June 17 said they would not attempt to coerce that the Chechen administration would close down refugee tent the refugees. As many as 110,000 camps in Chechnya by late June and transfer their inhabitants to Chechens agreed to return to their more permanent housing. He said 150 million rubles ($4.8 million) former places of residence. The would be earmarked to build housing in Grozny with capacity for administration promises help in housing 10,000 inhabitants. Ilyasov also said troops have not fully complied and employment to all those who wish with a military order regulating the conduct of so-called mopping-up to return. [Kommersant.Ru] operations in Chechnya. He said some troops failed to heed the order to make their sweep operations more transparent. [Associated The European Commission announced on June 13 that it is providing additional Press] humanitarian aid worth 4.5 million euros to assist the victims of the Chechnya The situation in mountainous districts of Chechnya is disastrous. conflict until the end of the year. The Mountainous rivers overflowing as a result of torrential rains, are funds will cover the most pressing destroying roads, bridges and houses. The mountainous Chechen needs of people affected by the fighting districts of Shatoy, Sharoy and Itum-Kale have been virtually both in Chechnya itself and in the marooned from the outworld and the Chechen capital of Grozny. A neighboring republics. IDPs, returnees, torrential flood has destroyed the Shatoy-Grozny motorway, the only children and other vulnerable population road linking these two districts. Almost all bridges in the mountains groups will benefit from the assistance. Food aid will be targeted at an have been destroyed. Water flooded houses and crops, destroyed estimated 170,000 IDPs in Chechnya power lines and irrigation systems. Death toll remains as yet unclear including the vulnerable population of because there is no communication between many settlements. the south, and up to 13,800 young Federal troops deployed to the mountains are also facing serious children and other IDPs in Ingushetia. problems. The situation in Grozny could be referred to as an emergency. [RIA Novosti] Moscow has assured the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on June 14 Flooding in southern Russia lead to human victims and forced that it will not force Chechens living in thousands to leave their homes, emergency officials said on June 22. neighboring Ingushetia to return to their People were reported missing in the floods that have hit 19 southern war-ravaged homeland. "We are now quite pleased that the Russians have Russian regions. Some of the victims were killed when their homes told us quite clearly that they are not collapsed while others died of exposure or heart attacks that going to push anybody back," said authorities linked to the flooding. The floods have washed out agency spokesman Kris Janowski. bridges, damaged power and telephone lines and caused sewage "Every return will be voluntary." He said systems to overflow. The President Putin ordered Defense Minister Russian authorities on all levels Sergey Ivanov to mobilize military forces based in Chechnya to assured UNHCR that only those willing provide aid to flood victims, presidential press secretary Alexey to go back would be returned. [Radio Gromov said. [Associated Press] Freedom] DRC/ASF Registration Ingushetia DRC/ASF continues the implementation of the program on-going registration of IDPs residing on the territory of Ingushetia. The goal of the project is to register humanitarian assistance’s beneficiaries for the aimed distribution of relief items, both food and non-food. The beneficiaries’ database is up-dated fortnightly. The information on number of IDPs arrives to DRC FO Nazran from four DRC/ASF Information Centers (1 in Malgobek, 1 in Sleptsovsk and 2 in Nazran). The data are processed, and the result of the registration is available for use of other relief agencies and interested official institutions. According to the latest DRC/ASF survey data as of 30.06.2002, the number of IDPs staying in Ingushetia constitutes 116,578 persons. The majority of the IDPs live in Sunzhenskiy District of Ingushetia, neighbouring to Chechnya (44,143 persons). The vulnerable part of IDPs is equivalent to 20,877 persons (including pregnant women, nursing women, children under 1 y.o., children under 3 y.o., invalids, elderly without adequate support, orphans, half-orphans and people fully depending on humanitarian assistance). According to the registration data, approximately 20,9% of IDPs live in tent- camps, 22,9% - in spontaneous settlements and 56,2% - with host families. For details, please see Annex 1, Tables 1, 2. Chechnya As of 30.06.2002, the Chechnya population constituted 784,128 persons, having as many as 139,920 inner IDPs in the area (Annex 1, Tables 3, 4, 5). Besides, the vulnerable part of Chechnya population constitutes 122,867 persons. The Chechnya database is served by 5 DRC/ASF Information Centers (in Urus-Martan, Shali, Gudermes and two in Grozny). The picture of IDPs and local population’s presence in the republic has varied for the last month due to the start of the federal program aimed at IDPs’ return to Chechnya from tent camps on the territory of Ingushetia. Distribution Ingushetia WFP/DRC/ASF Joint Program of Emergency Assistance In June 2002, DRC/ASF continued implementation of the Emergency Program in cooperation with the World Food Programme. The aim of the program is to provide IDPs living on the territory of Ingushetia with the basic food commodities, such as wheat, salt, sugar and vegetable oil. From 1 to 30 June, there were distributed: 1,566.664 MT of wheat, 12.368 MT of salt, 41.228 MT of sugar and 82,456 bottles of oil (in the total – 129.45 MT). The humanitarian assistance was distributed among 82,456 beneficiaries in Karabulakskiy, Malgobekskiy, Nazranovskiy and Sunzhenskiy Districts of Ingushetia. Since the beginning of implementation of WFP food distributions in the republic on 18 February 2000 and up to 30 June 2002, DRC/ASF have distributed more than 38,931.896 MT of food. (Annex 2, Table 1).