30 November 2000 Danish Refugee Council ASF – Danish Peoples Aid North Caucasus Situation Report No. 31 DRC/ASF PROGRAM OF EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO THE VICTIMS OF THE ARMED CONFLICT IN CHECHNYA __________________________________________________ Latest developments Other news 1. On November 27, the Ingush President, Ruslan Aushev, expressed his concern over the situation in Chechnya, which, according to him, “can presently be characterized as extremely difficult.” A ll measures undertaken by the Federal authorities bring stability International Organization for neither to the Chechen Republic nor to the surrounding territories. Mr. Aushev has also Migration warned that TB has mentioned problems in regard to the debt that the Federal Government owes to the reached alarming levels in Ingushetia. Ingush institutions serving the Chechen IDPs in the republic. According to the According to IOM, “the local President, the question of how the expenses of the Ingush families, hosting the authorities are stretched to the limit displaced from Chechnya, will be reimbursed is of great importance, especially because and have difficulties coping with this tuberculosis epidemic. The “it seems that nobody wants to be bothered with this matter.” International Organization for Migration has contributed laboratory equipment and supplies for better 2. On November 26, the Russian Military authorities introduced very strict limitations of prevention and detection of TB movement inside Chechnya. It concerns the areas along the main road starting from the among the IDPs and the rest of the village of Shaami-Yurt and up to the city of Gudermess. The military have also blocked population in the region. all incoming/outgoing movements outside the Chechen capital Grozny (except for the transport of MVD and military units). At the same time the Russians have initiated check In mid November a new IDP camp was up of identities of the Grozny residents: all youngsters living in Grozny without the local opened in Ingushetia. The tent camp registration are temporarily arrested for verification of their identities. However, as it has is located next to the already existing been stated by the Head of Achkhoi-Martanovskiy District Administration, the IDP compact settlement Severny. limitations haven’t had impact on fre edom of movement through Kavkaz-1 checkpoint UNHCR funded the establishment of (one of the major border checkpoints between Chechnya and the neighboring the camp, which has already hosted Ingushetia). first 4,000 Chechens displaced by the war in Chechnya. It is planned that the camp will eventually accommodate 12,000 displaced people. 3. A Council of Europe delegation deplored the unsatisfactory conditions facing IDPs who had fled the war in Chechnya, on their return from a fact-finding mission to the According to the results of an North Caucasus on 24 November. According to the delegation, they have seen a little opinion poll conducted by the All- progress since their last visit but it does not satisfy them or the IDPs. “Progress has Russian public opinion center, 44% of been made in education and medical aid but the situation is still extremely precarious Russians consider that military with many IDPs exposed to contagious diseases and suffering illnesses such as operations should be continued in hepatitis A and tuberculosis,” said the head of the delegation, Mr. Tadeusz Iwinski. The Chechnya. 47% think that it is time to begin peace negotiations. 10% were visitors were shocked by the ‘inhumane’ conditions in which some IDPs had been living undecided. In addition, 34% of those for over a year. “We saw about 2,000 people living in appalling and unacceptable who are either for further combat in conditions in 47 train wagons in the western Chechen town of Sernovodsk whilst Chechnya or refused to answer think another 6,000 are currently housed in railway carriages in Karabulak and Sputnik in the that combat should be continued in neighbouring republic of Ingushetia,” said Iwinski. The delegation informed that the the republic of Chechnya even if this Russian Government had pledged to house 6,000 IDPs by the end of the year but leads to gross losses among federal another 2,000 will have to wait until at least April next year. In a statement announced servicemen. Another 8% of that on November 24, the Council of Europe called on the Russian Government to encourage group of respondents said that peace international aid organizations to work in Chechnya by ensuring the security of staff negotiations should be started in that members, minimizing bureaucratic obstacles and lifting sales tax off all humanitarian case and 11% were undecided. goods. Talking about possible results of the war in Chechnya, 57% assumed that the republic would remain a part of 4. In a statement made on November 24, the Acting United Nations Relief Coordinator, Russia, 24% - that it will become independent and 20% gave no answer Carolyn McAskie, told that continuing bloodshed in Chechnya makes the breakaway to that. republic too dangerous for U.N. aid workers and is holding up a mass return of IDPs. The next day after the fact-finding mission to the North Caucasus the top UN official The law-reinforcement structures of informed that her trip had convinced her that the time was “not yet right for U.N. the Ingush Republic are looking for a organizations to operate freely inside Chechnya.” McAskie said many IDPs shared her person, who was involved in series of security concerns and would only return if they felt it was safe. She dismissed kidnappings of both civilians and suggestions that international aid gave IDPs an incentive to stay in Ingushetia. “You Russian military. According to a don't move people around with bribes of assistance. My response to those who try to source in the Ministry of Interior of encourage us to deliver more assistance inside Chechnya is -- only if you make it easier the republic, this person took an for us to do so,” she added. The UN official had meeting with non-governmental relief active part in kidnapping of a military agencies working in the region, whose representatives informed the guest that they in “Sputnik” military compound near frequently have problems gaining access to the rebel republic, which is largely under the city of Vladikavkaz (North Russian control following a massive military crackdown launched in October 1999. In Ossetia). The available information response McAskie assured that she would urge the Russian Governmental officials in indicates that the suspect is hiding in one of locations of Dzheirakh District. meetings in Moscow to resolve problems with security passes that was frustrating the NGOs’ work in Chechnya. On November 25 at around 1:00 AM, an explosive device detonated near the Sunzhenskiy District Department . 5 A meeting between top Ingush officials was held in the Ingush capital of Magas, on of Passport and Visa Service. November 17, to discuss measures to move Chechen IDPs from Ingushetia back to According to the Ingush Ministry of Chechnya. The resettlement is planned in two stages. The first stage envisages that the Interior, the incident did not result in IDPs will be directed to the temporary settlement centers in Sernovodskaya and Argun incurring of any casualties. However, villages starting from the beginning of the year 2001. In the second stage the IDPs will the building of the Passport and Visa go to temporary shelters opened in Grozny, which may be implemented not earlier than Department was seriously damaged. in April 2001. Full implementation of the plan will require a huge amount of money. Creation of a temporary shelter in Argun, for example, will require 2.5 million rubles. Last week the pro-independence Chechen leader, Aslan Maskhadov, called for peace negotiations with Russia without any preliminary conditions. Maskhadov emphasized that it is important to follow the Resolution of the EC Parliamentary Assembly, which addressed to both warring parties to cease military activities and to sit over a round table to discuss the ways out without preliminary conditions. According to the Chechen leader, he expects that such talks will take place because sooner or later all wars end up by holding negotiations, and the former IDP movements Russian President Yeltsin could be a Source: Migration Service of Ingushetia IDP movements 3500 Chechnya IDPs Chechnya IDPs leaving 3000 Date coming to Ingushetia Ingushetia for 2500 IDPs coming to from Chechnya Chechnya Ingushetia from 15/11/2000 2,265 1,861 2000 Chechnya IDPs IDPs leaving 1500 20/11/2000 2,014 1,845 Ingushetia for Chechnya 24/11/2000 1,850 1,781 1000 500 0 23/04-24/11 All mentioned IDP movements have been recorded at two main checkpoints between Chechnya and Ingushetia: Kavkaz-1 and Adler- 20. According to the Ingush Territorial Representative Office of the RF Ministry for Federal Affairs, Migration and Nationality Issues (former Migration Service of Ingushetia), during the recent period this state institution has registered 9,613 newly arrived Chechnya IDPs in Ingushetia. The sourced specified that the newly arriving IDPs from Chechnya are not registered by the above mentioned Office, and therefore, have no access to humanitarian assistance. Presently, the total number of the displaced living in Ingushetia is exceeding 175,203 persons (official figures). Out of them, 142,636 persons are registered by the Territorial Office in Ingushetia, received the necessary registration documents, i.e. form no. 7, and can be considered as entitled to get the humanitarian aid from the state sources. DRC/ASF registration Ingushetia As of November 27, the total number of Chechnya IDPs in Ingushetia is 155,332. The figure decrease from 170,000 to the present level due to the fact that the DRC/ASF had made a regular check up of Ingushetia and Chechnya databases and deleted approximately 15,000 persons who were registered in both republics.