Chechnya/Ingushetia: A Deliberate Strategy of Non-Assistance to People in Crisis

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International Activity Report 2002

Chechnya/Ingushetia: A Deliberate Strategy of Non-Assistance to People in Crisis
2002

The "fight against terrorism" continues in Chechnya. In January 2001, MSF released a report about the Russian authorities' neglect of Chechen civilians in Chechnya and neighboring republics. The following are excerpts from the report, to read the full report, click here.

These displaced Chechen children live in a collective occupying a disused restaurant, Malgobek, Ingushetia, November 2001. They may have a roof over their heads but the trauma of war and displacement runs deep. © Alexander Glyadelov

Since the resumption of war in Chechnya in 1999, MSF has repeatedly denounced the conduct of Russian and pro-Russian forces toward Chechen civilians. Testimonies gathered by MSF staff working in Chechnya and neighboring Ingushetia and Georgia have illustrated the arbitrary and violent nature of treatment meted out to civilians in Chechnya as a result of the "fight against terrorism" being waged by the Russian authorities.

Conditions in Chechnya: An open air prison

The violence of the conflict, the Russian repression and the assimilation of civilians with the actions of the rebel groups make every civilian a potential victim. Men from 15 to 50 years of age are the most threatened, and the random violence and risks to which they are exposed often oblige them to flee or join ranks with the soldiers. Far from improving, this situation has continued to deteriorate. Since September 2001, the resumption of bombing, rocket fire, and the danger of stray bullets have forced many Chechens to spend most of their time seeking safety in their cellars, like rats. In Chechnya, horror is a part of daily life.

Last year, Russia officially and publicly invited aid organizations to assist with the reconstruction of Chechnya, presenting their request to MSF in March 2001. Since that time, however, the prevailing climate of insecurity coupled with the unreasonable pressures exerted on NGO independence by Resolution 22 has made access to Chechnya more and more difficult and hazardous.

I have been here for a week and I'm sick! There were terrible bombings on Argun on October 8th and 9th, so I came here. I couldn't stand it there anymore, my husband was taken in a cleansing operation seven months ago, he had no papers, and I haven't heard from him since.
– Aminat, age 23, six months pregnant – Logobaz, Nazran

Ingushetia: The "invisible" displaced Chechens

MSF is extremely aware and concerned about the inability of aid organizations to handle the needs of the tens of thousands of newly arrived displaced Chechens in Ingushetia, many of whom are living in kompaknikis or squats, with little or no assistance. The deplorable conditions for displaced Chechens in Ingushetia, their inability to get registered and receive assistance, and the threats and pressure on them to return to Chechnya may also deter people in need of safety and assistance from seeking refuge there.

I haven't gotten anything for three months. Fortunately, the neighbors bring me a dish of food at night. And I bake bread outside.
– Khouzimat, age 101 (she lives in the corner of a barn at Bogatyr– Sleptsovskaya)

Ingushetia: A strategy of minimal assistance to the displaced

The inadequate level of "assistance," according to the Russian President's Representative for Human Rights in Chechnya, Vladimir Kalamanov, is the result of an administrative game of tag. MSF remains skeptical that simple bureaucratic and organizational problems are the real cause of the delay in providing assistance to the displaced Chechens.

During 2001 the Russian authorities increased the direct pressure on the displaced Chechens in Ingushetia to go home by publishing false reports about the amounts of aid offered in Chechnya.