Ingush forces liquidate tent refugee camp Iman in Aki-YurtRuslan Isayev, North Caucaus, December 2 - The refugee camp Iman in Aki-Yurt has been sealed off by Ingush forces and the work on the resettlement of Chechen refuges gained momentum last weekend. On Monday morning, there were reportedly over ten tents remaining whose inhabitants were not willing to dismantle them in spite of last week's threats that all tents should be dismantled by December 1.
There has been no electricity and gas in the camp for several days. On Sunday, several tents were cut down by Ingush policemen. On Monday morning, all the entrances to and exits from Aki-Yurt were blocked by the the local power structures. Neither journalists, nor representatives of international humanitarian organizations were permitted to enter the camp at that time. Ingush policemen said that they were implementing an oral order of the Ingush Interior Minister according to which they were to restrict the movement in and out of the camp. When I was on the spot, however, I saw several vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross, accompanied by the Ingush police, entering the camp.
I managed to speak to one of the refugees living in Iman, Zaurbek. He has not decided to leave yet. "But it is just for the time beeing", said Zaurbek. "Not only do they force us to leave the camp, but they do not provide the returnees with at least basic accommodation. They promised us there would be reconstructed apartaments in Grozny, but in reality they place people into some shanty houses without elementary conditions for living." According to him, many of those who left for Chechnya will not withstand such conditions and they will have to return back to Ingushetia anyway.
Refugees believe that the next camp to be closed down will be the Bart tent village in Karabulak. The supply of electricity and gas to the camp has been reduced and its inhabitantns spend the whole day searching for wood. On the other hand, two weeks ago President of Ingushetia promised that no one would touch them.
(J/T) |
