UN agency concerned by increasing uncertainty for Chechens in Ingushetia

The United Nations refugee agency today said it was concerned about a succession of events that have increased the uncertainty affecting around 1,000 displaced Chechens living in Ingushetia.

During the course of the past week, inhabitants at Bella Camp have been subjected to a number of measures that have increased their already substantial fears that they are about to be forced back to Chechnya against their will, according to a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"Starting last Wednesday, all three main utilities - gas, electricity and water - have been cut off for varying periods and then restored," Ron Redmond said at a press briefing in Geneva. "After a relatively quiet weekend, the gas and electricity supplies were cut once again yesterday, and there were reports that some of the latrines had also been removed."

Access for aid agencies, including UNHCR, has also been denied for varying periods and remains erratic, the spokesman said, adding that the agency did not in principle oppose plans to relocate some or all of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bella Camp to other locations in Ingushetia.

"Indeed, [it] has provided tents in another camp, Satsita, for some Bella inhabitants who say they wish to move," Mr. Redmond said. "However, the possibilities for appropriate alternative accommodation elsewhere in Ingushetia have not been fully and clearly elaborated."

He said the Russian Government has given repeated assurances that Chechens will not be coerced - directly or indirectly - into returning against their will.

Latest estimates put the total number of IDPs in Ingushetia at around 77,000, of whom over 11,000 are accommodated in five camps, with the rest living in temporary settlements or private accommodation.