Ingushetia Situation Report No. 29

Latest developments

• 1. A car with 5 MVD officers from Astrakhan going to Sernovodsk (Chechnya) was machine-gunned, on October 8, in the territory of Malgobek Region of Ingushetia.
• 2. On October 9, a group of U.S. politicians met with the Foreign Minister of the Chechen pro-independence government, Ilyas Akhmadov.
• 3. According to the Acting Head of the Ingush Migration Service, Magomed Gereyev, due to the coming winter, the number of IDPs from Chechnya arriving to the neighbouring Ingushetia will increase.
• 4. Threats of TB epidemics among the IDPs in Ingushetia.
• 5. The Ingush Migration Service, on October 12, suspended provision of hot meals and bread to the IDPs in Ingushetia because of the Russian government’s debt of over 400 million rubles. But the Minister for Federal Affairs, National and Migration Policy, Aleksandr Blokhin, questions the amount.
• 6. On October 16, the body of an Italian journalist, who since July had been covering news on Chechnya, was found in a suburb of the Georgian capital Tbilisi.
• 7. On October 17, 13 year old Soslan Nigolov of the North Ossetia was released from captivity by the officers of the North-Caucasian Regional Department Against Organized Crime.
• 8. During the next two weeks, the IDPs presently living in a train camp located in Sleptsovskaya (Sunzha Region of Ingushetia) will be moved to a newly established tent camp "Alina".

1. On October 8, a car transporting five officers of the Astrakhan MVD to their temporary duty-station in Sernovodsk (the Chechen Republic)was machine-gunned by unidentified group of militants on the road between the populated areas Krasnaya Gorka and Voznesenovskaya (Malgobek Region of Ingushetia). The attack resulted in killing of the two militia officers. The Prosecutor’s Office of the city of Malgobek - the regional center of Malgobek Region of Ingushetia – has taken a criminal action against the attackers. In a statement made on 9 October, the Acting Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Ingush Republic, Abdul-Salam Tutaev, considered the firing "as an attempt of the extremist forces to destabilize the situation in the region".

2. On October 9, a group of U.S. politicians met with the Foreign Minister of the Chechen pro-independence government, Ilyas Akhmadov. Among other thing, the minister informed the meeting about the dire situation with the Chechen IDPs, who are facing the winter in the open or at best in camps in Ingushetia, where conditions are so terrible that many of them are likely to fall ill or even die. However, according to the Foreign Minister, they are perhaps the lucky ones compared to those who remain in Chechnya where the war continues and who can not receive any assistance at all. Following Minister Akhmadov's presentation, Dawn Calabia of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees described the obstacles Russian officials have put in the way of international assistance to Chechens who have fled their homes. No international representatives are allowed to remain in Chechnya overnight, she said, a situation that severely limits their ability to provide aid. Senator Smith called for a cease-fire in Chechnya as soon as possible and urged the Russian government to negotiate with the Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov to reach a political settlement. In its statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the meeting of the U.S. politicians with Ilyas Akhmadov as "unacceptable".

3. On October 10, the Acting Head of the Ingush Migration Service, Magomed Gereyev, assumed that due to the coming winter, the number of IDPs from Chechnya arriving to the neighboring Ingushetia will increase. According to the Ingush EMERCOM, since the beginning of the military campaign in Chechnya, out of the total number of the IDPs who left Chechnya for Ingushetia, as many as 58,100 persons went to the other parts of Russia, and around 60,000 IDPs returned to Chechnya.

4. According to the Ingush republic's ministry of health, the alarming development of 283 cases of TB among Chechen IDPs has forced the ministry to open a field hospital in "Severny" tent camp. Lung specialists from Russia are reported to have been brought there to deal with the epidemic.

5. The Ingush Migration Service, on October 12, suspended provision of hot meals and bread to the IDPs in Ingushetia because of the Russian government’s debt of over 400 million rubles. However, on October 17, the Minister for Federal Affairs, National and Migration Policy, Aleksandr Blokhin, dismissed the information of the Ingush officials concerning the 400 million rubles debt saying that "we don’t have such information, and this figure (400 mln. RR) lies on the conscience of those who voice it". According to the Minister, the official number of IDPs in Chechnya is 181,000 persons, whereas in the neighboring Ingushetia the figure constitutes 122,450 individuals. Out of them, around 40,000 IDPs will be living in tent camps in the territory of Ingushetia. The information obtained at the Ingush Ms indicates that on October 18, provision bread to the IDPs in Ingushetia was resumed. But, unless the MS receives money by October 23, the distribution of bread will be suspended again.

6. On October 16, the body of the Italian journalist, Antonio Russo, was found in Georgia, 25 km from the capital Tbilisi. Georgian investigators said they have been looking at several theories surrounding the murder, including that the journalist was killed by the secret services of an unnamed country. Antonio Russo had been in the Caucasus region since July, mostly covering the war in Chechnya.

7. On October 17, 13 year old Soslan Nigolov from North Ossetia was released from captivity by the officers of the North-Caucasian Regional Department Against Organised Crime. The special operation, which ended with the arrest of a multi-ethnic group of people involved in the kidnapping, took place near the village of Arshti (Sunzha Region of Ingushetia). Nigolov was kidnapped by unidentified persons on 18 December, 1999 from his home town of Digora (North Ossetia).

8. During the next two weeks, the IDPs presently living in a train camp located in Sleptsovskaya (Sunzha Region of Ingushetia) will be moved to a newly established tent camp "Alina". Initially, there will be set up 200 tens for 4,000 people. It is expected that the full capacity of the camp will be 600 tents for 12,000 persons. UNHCR has allocated 7 mln. rubles to support the project, conducted together with EMERCOM - Ingushetia.

9. As it has been mentioned in the DRC/ASF Situation Report no.28, the Head of the Department Against Organised Crime of the Chechen Republic had announced that a criminal investigation was started over the alleged embezzlement of several tons of food-aid by one of DRC/ASF’s local staff in Chechnya. DRC/ASF has already strongly dismissed those allegations. On October 17, DRC/ASF FO Nazran received a letter signed by the Head of the Committee for IDP Affairs, Lechi Gedizov. In the letter the high-ranking official of the Chechnya Administration has recognised that the allegations against the employee were groundless, whereby all charges against the DRC/ASF employee have been withdrawn. On October 18, DRC/ASF issued a press release concerning the incident (full text of the press release can be found in Annex 2).

IDP movements

Source: Migration Service of Ingushetia

All mentioned IDP movements have been recorded at two main checkpoints between Chechnya and Ingushetia: Kavkaz-1 and Adler-20.

According to the Ingush Migration Service, currently there are 172,968 Chechnya IDPs staying in the republic. Out of them, as many as 152,529 IDPs are registered and have form # 7, which enables them to receive humanitarian aid distributing through the local EMERCOM and the Ministry for Federal Affairs.

Registration

Ingushetia

Recently, DRC/ASF has identified a new significant influx of people from Chechnya coming to Ingushetia to get registered with DRC/ASF and as a result, to be entitled to humanitarian assistance delivered through DRC/ASF. The most probable explanation to the increase is the fact that since in Ingushetia and Chechnya there are different criteria for beneficiaries, it has become more "profitable" for some people from Chechnya to get registered with DRC/ASF in Ingushetia while de-facto living in the territory of the Chechen Republic. Only fixed groups among the population of Chechnya are considered as beneficiaries of the food assistance (inner IDPs, host families and vulnerable individuals), whereas in Ingushetia all IDPs from Chechnya are considered to be entitled to received the aid. Hence, non-vulnerable persons from Chechnya may find it attractive to come to the Ingush Republic to obtain the registration as IDPs and thereby get access to humanitarian assistance.

In the light of this fact and judging by the previous similar experience, when the total number of IDPs registered with DRC/ASF did not match the actual picture of displacement, it was decided to temporarily suspend the registration of IDPs in Ingushetia from October 19. The registration will resume after DRC/ASF, together with some of the main relief players in the area, will agree on the list of locations from where the IDPs in Ingushetia should originate in order to be registered.

On October 17, as many as 164,836 IDPs and 9,283 host families were listed in the DRC/ASF database. The latest updated information on the number of the Chechnya IDPs as well as on the Ingush host families, registered with DRC/ASF can be found in Annex 1.

Chechnya

DRC/ASF registration teams continue collecting information on the population of Chechnya in the areas not covered during the main phase of the registration campaign in Chechnya. Thus, DRC/ASF has already finished registering people in Shatoy and Itum-Kale Districts and also in the maintain part of Kurchaloy District of the republic. Shortly, the data on the people living in these areas will be typed into the computer database and become available for implementation of various humanitarian programs there. By now, the only area left uncovered by the DRC/ASF registration teams in Chechnya is Nozhai-Yurt District – the place with the highest level of insecurity in the republic. However, when the security situation allows, DRC/ASF will start registration in this location as well. Besides that, DRC/ASF permanent registration points (PRP) daily serve people in 11 main locations of the Chechen Republic.

DRC/ASF registration in Chechnya (IDPs, HF and vulnerable individuals)
breakdown by location/targeting groups (as of 17/10/2000)

Distribution

DRC/ASF Program of Emergency Assistance to the people of Chechnya

Basic principle of the DRC/ASF distributions of food in the Chechen Republic.

DRC/ASF program of regular distribution of food items in Chechnya started on May 11,2000. Since then, DRC/ASF has been delivering basic food commodities (wheat flour, sugar, oil) to the targeted groups of beneficiaries: inner IDPs, host families and resident vulnerables based on the following ration:

All DRC beneficiaries, receive food (full ration) according to DRC’s pre-printed distribution lists. However, not all the beneficiaries listed in DRC’s distribution lists, produced on the basis of the DRC survey of the Chechen population, appear at the distribution points. For example, especially IDPs may have left the location. Taking this fact into account and in order to avoid transporting food assistance back from the distribution points to the DRC warehouses in Ingushetia in a situation where the population of Chechnya is facing starvation, DRC distributes the remaining food aid using additional lists. The additional lists are made in cooperation with the local administrations at the distribution points. These rosters include needy people who have not been assigned to any of the DRC categories of beneficiaries or, to a minor extent people, who for some reasons were not included into the DRC lists when the survey was conducted. The people are included in the distribution lists indicating the full name of the beneficiary and his/her passport specifications. As usual, the beneficiaries on these lists confirm their receipt of the ration by signing the list and is given the food directly by DRC, not by the local administration. Usually, at the end of the distribution it turns out that the food items are used up unevenly, and one or two of the food products are remaining. This food is also distributed, taking into account the established ration. In addition, every beneficiary is informed that he/she receives remaining food according to the additional lists. In their reports to the office, the field assistants indicate the number of people served according to the DRC lists and also the additional lists. They also specify how many people from the additional lists received incomplete rations.

In the DRC/ASF Sitrep no. 28 there was committed a misprint concerning the ration given away by DRC/ASF to host families in Chechnya. The following food ration has been used by DRC/ASF for distribution of ECHO/DANIDA funded food commodities in Chechnya:

Recent food distributions made by DRC/ASF in Chechnya

As a part of its regular food delivery program, on October 13, DRC/ASF distributed a total of 233,200 MT of flour in 10 settlements of Urus-Martanovskiy District (sponsored by ECHO). Due to absence of sugar and oil available for procurement, these items were not included in the distribution this time. Apart from that, on October 5, there was finished distribution of the WFP food commodities in Staropromislovskiy District of Grozny (first convoy of 13 trucks was sent to the district on 28 October). The total number of beneficiaries (IDPs, HFs and vulnerables) covered by DRC/ASF in this location is 22,500 persons. Reports on the above-mentioned distributions are published below. So far, DRC/ASF has delivered 4825,8 MT of food aid to Chechnya ( ECHO – DANIDA – WFP). Out of this quantity, 373,8 MT were distributed from 1/10/2000 up to 13/10/2000.

DRC/ASF distribution of WFP food commodities in Chechnya (28/09/2000 - 5/10/2000)

Ration used for distribution of the WFP food in Chechnya: 10 kg flour, 0,9 kg pulses, 1 L oil. All people living in Staropromislovskiy District of Grozny (100%) are for the moment considered as beneficiaries and receive full ration. The same refers to the other 3 district of the city, where the Czech NGO “People in Need” conducts regular distributions of the WFP food-aid.

DRC/ASF distribution of ECHO food commodities in Chechnya (13/10/2000)

Due to delivery problems of oil and sugar, it was only possible to distribute flower during the distribution.

Based on the agreement reached between UNHCR and DRC/ASF, the latter, in September and October, distributed UNHCR clothing in Chechnya. The total number of the UNHCR items distributed by DRC/ASF in the republic so far is 64,937.

DRC/ASF distribution of UNHCR non-food items in Chechnya - September:

DRC/ASF distribution of UNHCR non-food items in Chechnya - October:

UNHCR/WFP/DRC/ASF Joint Program of Emergency Assistance

Distribution up-date FOOD ITEMS

Based on the supplies provided by UNHCR, a total of 6322,2 MT of food items have been distributed by DRC from 23/12/1999 to 20/10/2000 in Ingushetia.

WFP food items have been distributed by DRC from 18/02/2000 to 30/09/2000 in the amount of 12889,8 MT.

Shelter Program

DRC/ASF Shelter Team has developed a program called “DRC/ASF Shelter Concept for Chechnya and Ingushetia” which represents a comprehensive plan of action in both republics until the end of the year 2000.

Chechnya

As it was pre-planned, DRC/ASF has initiated a small pilot shelter project in a village (Shaami-Yurt, Achkhoy-Martanovskiy District) with high degree of destruction (partially destroyed houses). The needs in quantity of construction materials for rehabilitation of houses in the settlements has also been concluded. It was followed by signing of agreements with owners of 71 partially destroyed houses in the villages of Shaami-Yurt and Zakan-Yurt which serve as a basis for the future shelter assistance to these beneficiaries. According to such an agreement, the whole process of rehabilitation will be divided into several phases, and only after the end of implementation of each part of the agreement, a beneficiary will be given additional construction materials to fulfil the next phase. Also the DRC/ASF Shelter Team has conducted assessment of needs in construction materials and evaluation of level of destruction in yet another six locations of Achkhoy-Martanovskiy District: Achkhoy-Martan town, Samashki, Davidenko, Novi Sharoy, Valerik and Orekhovo. DRC/ASF has created and constantly updates a database on destroyed housing in Chechnya.

Based on the below data DRC/ASF has built up its reconstruction plan in Urus-Martanovskiy and Shalinskiy Districts of Chechnya until the end of the current year:

Ingushetia

DRC/ASF has finished assessing some of the spontaneous settlements for the following implementation of winterization there. The list of the places of temporary IDP accommodation includes MTF - Nesterovskaya, MTF - Sleptsovskaya, MTF - Troitskaya and MTF - Galashki. Together with the Administration of Yuzhniy settlement, there have also been prepared the necessary documents for construction of houses for some of the IDPs from the Chechen Republic who is going to permanently reside in Ingushetia.

DRC/ASF Integration Program in Ingushetia

The new DRC Integration/Protection Co-ordinator for Ingushetia arrived in Nazran on 12th October and is presently in the process of undertaking an assessment, so as to identify the particular areas in which DRC shall focus its attention in the remainder of the year. The integration project is targeting the needs of the IDPs of Ingush nationality, who have arrived since the beginning of the fighting in Chechnya and have indicated to the government that it is their intention to remain in Ingushetia, even once repatriation to Chechnya can take place. In addition there are also IDPs who are to be integrated having fled from the Prigorodniy District of North Ossetia in 1992. Hence, there is an obvious need that these people are assisted in establishing themselves on the plots of land that the Ingush government has recently allocated to some of them and to support the communities in their development.

The Integration/Protection Co-ordinator will continue the work which has been undertaken earlier in the year with a strong desire to ensure that some of the immediate needs are met in light of the oncoming winter. The program will consist of a variety of components ranging from income generation, to shelter rehabilitation and capacity building and it is hoped that this can be achieved with close co-operation and support of the Ingush government and the local authorities.

Presently the funding provided by DANIDA is for the year 2000, but certainly it is the hope of DRC that we are able to secure additional funding in the new year to continue the project in 2001 in accordance with the needs of the target group.

Danish De-Mining Group (DDG) /Dan Church Aid (DCA) Joint Mine-Awareness Program in Ingushetia

The DDG/DCA Mine-Awareness (MA) Sessions in the public schools in Ingushetia continues. So far, there have been given MA education to approximately 4502 IDP children in Ingushetia. Furthermore, DDG/DCA are distributing MA posters provided by UNICEF and UNHCR. The posters are distributed to the schools, the DRC/ASF distribution points of DRC and to some camps and spontaneous settlements. DDG/DCA have had a small number of T-shirts printed to enhance the visibility of the MA instructors. These T-shirts are worn by the instructors during sessions. As a follow-up of a request of several INGOs, starting from this week, DDG/DCA is going to give MA training for international relief organizations working in Chechnya (both for expatriates and local staff).

DDG/DCA are currently looking into expanding the program into Chechnya.

Inter-Agency

On October 11, a General Security Meeting took place at UNHCR FO Nazran. The meeting was held by UNHCR. The following organization were present at the meeting: DRC, MSF - Holland, UN WHO, UNICEF, OCHA. The main question discussed was the security situation in Ingushetia and Chechnya and measures to be considered by the international NGO community to ensure the safe implantation of their programs in the areas. According to UNHCR, winter will see an increase in the number of security incidents. A public awareness campaign to increase local knowledge of humanitarian activities high-profile informational coverage of the NGOs’ activities was suggested. According to UNHCR, close monitoring of food distribution needs to be put in place. UNHCR asked all the agencies working in the field to share any security related information obtained by them in the best interest of the other relief organizations operating in the North Caucasus.

On October 12, DRC/ASF participated at a regular Food Sector Meeting held by UNOCHA in Nazran. The present NGO representatives - WFP, DRC, ACF, Islamic Relief - informed about their on-going programs of food assistance in Ingushetia and Chechnya. WFP monitors constantly receive complaints from IDPs over the fact that in Ingushetia and Chechnya the food rations are not the same. WFP representative suggested to consider a possibility of similar food rations to be used in Ingushetia and Chechnya. DRC/ASF supported the idea, in general. In fact, in the initial stage of its program of food assistance in Chechnya DRC/ASF has already proposed to unify the rations. The present discrepancy between the rations in the republics creates a pull factor for the people to come to Ingushetia for the assistance and slows down the IDP return to Chechnya from the Ingush Republic.

On October 12, DRC/ASF took part at the meeting hosted by the Federal Ministry for Federal Affairs, National and Migration Policy. According to the Minister for Federal Affairs, Mr. Blokhin, more of the international aid flowing into the region should be directed into Chechnya and due to cold weather approaching, a lot needs to be done for the IDPs in Ingushetia. He called for the formation of a new Commission to help international organizations coordinate their efforts to distribute aid. In his view, it should be headed by EMERCOM, which is now responsible for delivering relief aid in the region, and include representatives of EMERCOM. UNICEF’s representative said some of the regions in Chechnya are not receiving any assistance at all, because the instability in the republic has prevented international representatives from operating there.

On October 17, DRC/ASF met with a representative of Hilfswerk - Austria at DRC/ASF FO Nazran for coordination of distribution of non-food items in Ingushetia. Hilfswerk is looking into a possibility to start distribution of children’s clothing in Karabulak - Ingushetia (around 12,000 children under 17 y.o.). The total number of the IDP children in Ingushetia is 74,485, according to DRC/ASF’s figures. It has been agreed that DRC/ASF will cover the same group of beneficiaries in the rest of Ingushetia: 43,000 IDP children under 17 y.o. living in Malgobek, Sunzha Region, as well as in Nazran Municipal District will be covered by ECHO funding and 18,000 children - by a DANIDA contribution. DRC/ASF packages of children’s clothing will consist of several of the following items: sweaters, trousers, caps and underwear.

Stavropol, 24 October 2000.

For further information, please contact:

Country Program Manager Tom Trier
Tel: + 7 8652 - 35 69 18, (Stavropol), + 7 87322 2 82 70, + 7 901 497 94 71 (Nazran)
mobile + 7 8652 - 919 047; E-mail: trier@drc.ru

Inter-Agency Officer Zelim Yandarov
Tel: + 7 8652 - 35 69 15, mobile + 7 8652 - 913 789; E-mail: yandarov@drc.ru

DRC North Caucasus
Ul. Lenina 458, 3-d floor
355 029 Stavropol
Russian Federation
Tel. +7 8652 94 39 97
Fax +7 8652 35 69 17

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Annex 1

DRC/ASF registration of Chechnya IDPs in Ingushetia - (17/10/2000)
(breakdown by location)

DRC/ASF registration of the Ingush host families (HF) - (17/10/2000)

(breakdown by location)

DRC/ASF registration of Chechnya IDPs in Ingushetia - (as of 09/2000)
(breakdown by age & sex)

Annex 2

PRESS RELEASE

18 October 2000

GROUNDLESS ACCUSATIONS OF THEFT AGAINST HUMANITARIAN AGENCY WORKING IN CHECHNYA

On 28 September, Russian and International Press Agencies reported that a large consignment of humanitarian aid had been stolen by a Chechen local employee, Saidkhasan Deniev, working for the Danish Refugee Council during distributions in the town of Shali, Chechen Republic. The Danish Refugee Council is a Danish humanitarian agency assisting refugees and people in need in the North Caucasus. Allegedly, S. Deniev should have forged over 5,000 signatures of residents of Shali District confirming receipt of humanitarian aid and have stolen several tons of flour, sugar and other products. It was also reported that criminal charges had been filed against Deniev and that the police unit against organised crime, RUBOP, was investigating the case.

"We strongly reject these unjustified allegations", says Tom Trier, who is heading DRC's operations in the North Caucasus. An official complaint has been forwarded by DRC to the Head of the Chechen Administration, Mr. Kadyrov. "The criminal case against the DRC employee was launched on the basis of complaints of Chechens who did not find their names in DRC's distribution lists. However, DRC - as most other humanitarian agency working in Chechnya - does not provide food to all individuals but only to the most vulnerable segments of the population. Although DRC believes that the needs for food in Chechnya are much greater that the present humanitarian assistance provides for, DRC depends on funding from international sources to expand its coverage," says Tom Trier. Hence, DRC presently includes only such groups as internally displaced, host families, pregnant and lactating women, orphans, disabled, children below 3 years, single parent families, etc. DRC covers only 30-35% of the population in the districts of Chechnya provided with food assistance by the organization.

In Shali on August 21-26 - the distribution questioned by the police unit -DRC distributed food to 11,441 people, and not to 16,000 people as declared by the police. The distributions in Shali were carried out by 8 DRC staff working at 4 distribution points. At each of the points between 1-3,000 rations were given out. S. Deniev was among the 8 staff member. Hence, even theoretically, it would have been impossible for one of the employees to forge 5,000 signatures, as stated by RUBOP.

In a letter received on 17 October by DRC in Nazran, the Head of the Chechen Administration's Comittee for Displacement Issues, Mr. Lechi Gidizov, has recognized that the allegations against the employee were groundless. All charges against S. Deniev have been withdrawn. In general, DRC has developed a distribution system based on triple control of its local employees and since the start of DRC's activities in Chechnya in May 2000, there has not been any cases of abuse performed by DRC staff in Chechnya. DRC has successfully distributed over 4,500 tons of food funded by ECHO (European Union's Humanitarian Organisation) and the Danish Government from May to present. In Ingushetia, DRC has distributed over 20,000 tons of food since the beginning of the refugee crisis, part of which as implementing partner for UN agencies and the European Union.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is one of the largest humanitarian agencies operating in the North Caucasus with some 300 local and international employees and other staff covering the fundamental needs of presently over 300,000 people in Chechnya and Ingushetia. DRC distributes food and clothing in several districts of Chechnya and also covers the basic food needs of 77% of the displaced Chechens in Ingushetia.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Trier, Country Program Manager, Danish Refugee Council (English)
mob. +7 8652 - 919 047, tel. +7 8652 - 94 39 97, e-mail: trier@drc.ru

Zelim Yandarov, Inter-Agency Coordinator, Danish Refugee Council (Russian)
mob. +7 8652 - 913 789, tel. +7 8652 - 35 69 15, e-mail: yandarov@drc.ru

Danish Refugee Council
ul. Lenina 458
355 029 Stavropol
Russian Federation