CHECHNYA LINKS LIBRARY

Ingush authorities dismantle flooded refugee camp

By Ruslan Isayev

INGUSHETIA – Ingush authorities have decided to dismantle yet another place for refugees from the neighbouring republic of Chechnya.

The spontaneous refugee settlement Kolos, which has been in existence for about four years, is located on the edge of Karabulak village and houses more than 200 people. The settlement's wooden huts are situated next to a bridge and almost yearly the place is affected by summer floods.

One week ago the annual flooding cycle was repeated wherein all the huts were inundated by water overflowing from the Sunzha River. The leaders of Ingushetia’s Migration Service offered the refugees alternative accomodation in a former kindergarten building, but they refused the offer.

Akhmed Parchiyev, head of the Migration Service, told the refugees that Kolos no longer officially existed and, therefore, would be closed within a day or two.

The settlement’s gas, water, and electricity has already been shut off so most refugees were prepared to leave, but only on condition that they receive at least minimally comfortable accommodations. Others were frightened of the floods returning and thus agreed to go, only to return to the Kolos settlement two days later.

One refugee said he had taken three of his children to the room he had been allocated. “It was not even a room, but more like a cell; so I came back here. I’d rather live with the risk of flooding than in a room the size of a toilet.”

(MG/E,T)