Refugee camp Sputnik dismantled
Ruslan Isayev, North Caucasus – Sputnik, the Chechen refugee camp near the Ingush town of Ordzhonikidzevskaya, has been completely dismantled; the last tent was taken down Thursday evening.
All of Sputnik‘s residents are gone - some ended up in Chechnya, and others were moved to "compact settlements" in Ingushetia.
Almost everyone received 1,000 roubles (about $35) and a receipt that a bank account had been opened for them. Into this the state will deposit money as compensation for their houses that were destroyed during military operations in the Chechen Republic. Some families even got wooden modular houses.
However, the refugees were simultaneously being subjected to pressure from the migration authorities. And the Migration Service’s order to shut down the camp by April 1 was assisted by the police and members of various special services.
Sputnik resident Zulpa Khadziyeva was threatened that if she didn’t dismantle her tent by nightfall, it would be bulldozed. So she and her family had no choice but to leave for Chechnya.
In response to being asked if many people succumbed to this pressure, Zulpa replied, "Almost everybody, even though no one really wanted to leave. First, because Chechnya is dangerous and secondly, we already got used to this place."
She then added that in Chechnya nightly raids and detentions are the most feared. "I have grown-up sons and I'm frightened at the thought that something bad will happen to them."
Sputnik, along with three adjoining tent camps, was put up in a field in late 1999 and became the largest and most densely populated refugee camp in Ingushetia, housing about 9,000 residents.
Two of the neighboring camps, Bela and Alina, were dismantled at the end of 2003.
Now it will be Satsita’s turn; the last refugee camp in Ingushetia where about 2,000-3,000 people still live.
For the past month the Migration Service has been actively working on preparations for dismantling this camp. (T/E) RELATED ARTICLES:
· Refugees from Sputnik flatly refuse returning to Chechnya (10.03. 2004)
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