Chechnya - DHA: 20 August - 30 September 1996
Chechnya - DHA: 20 August - 30 September 1996
UNITED NATIONS INTER-AGENCY HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMME FOR
PERSONS DISPLACED AS A RESULT OF THE EMERGENCY SITUATION IN
CHECHNYA, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
SITUATION REPORT OF THE DHA COORDINATOR
BASED ON FIELD REPORTS AND COVERING THE PERIOD
20 August - 30 September 1996
GENERAL
POLITICAL
As has been widely reported, the Secretary of the Russian
Federation Security Council, Alexander Lebed, and insurgent
chief of staff Aslan Maskhadov signed on 22 August a
cease-fire agreement covering the whole of Chechnya and on
31 August a statement of principles which became known as
the Khasavyurt Agreement. According to this document,
federal forces would be withdrawn from Chechnya within two
months, check-points would be removed and a joint
commission would be set up by 1 October to monitor the
withdrawal of federal troops and to coordinate steps in
fighting crime and terrorism in the region. Further
discussions on how Chechnya was to be administered would be
held, while the decision on Chechnya's political status was
to be delayed for five years, until 31 December 2001. At
the end of August federal troops and Chechen insurgents
began withdrawing from Grozny.
On 3 September Alexander Lebed announced that about 80,000
people, most of them civilians, had been killed during the
war in Chechnya, although up to that time the most widely
accepted figure had been 30,000 dead. Recently-appointed
Defense Minister Igor Rodionov issued military statistics
for casualties in Chechnya, stating that up to 30 August
1996 there had been 2,837 fatalities among federal forces
and that an additional 337 soldiers were missing.
On 17 September, Alexander Lebed and the leader of the
insurgents, Zelimkhan Yandarbiev agreed on the modalities
of setting up a coalition government for a transitional
period. In addition to insurgent leaders, it would contain
some former members of Doku Zavgaev's pro-Moscow government
and some independent persons. Russian law would be applied
in Chechnya from 18 September onwards. Further steps in
the troop withdrawal, which had been temporarily halted by
the federal commander General Tikhomirov because of the
alleged insurgent refusal to free federal prisoners, were
also discussed and agreed upon.
The cease-fire was reported to be generally holding, with
occasional shooting incidents.
On 30 September the office of the commander of federal
forces in Chechnya stated that the withdrawal of 11,000
Defense Ministry troops would be completed by the end of
October, two weeks ahead of schedule, and that the
withdrawal of 20,000 Interior Ministry troops would
commence in mid-October.
In the State Duma on 2 October, in a short debate on the
Chechnya question, many deputies denounced Alexander Lebed,
while Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov, invited as a guest
speaker, accused him of treason. However, the following
day President Yeltsin, in a radio address, stated that
Lebed's actions were in fulfillment of presidential
instructions.
On 3 October 1996 a Chechen delegation led by Zelimkhan
Yandarbiyev traveled to Moscow and signed an agreement
which provides for a joint federal-Chechen commission based
in Grozny which will oversee post-war reconstruction (using
federal funds), the withdrawal of federal troops, the
exchange of prisoners and the combating of crime, terrorism
and racial or religious hatred.
The joint commission would start work immediately on paying
out pensions, salaries and compensation to people in
Chechnya. It would then start to rebuild housing and
repair heating systems.
On 27 September, Mr. Lebed met in Nazran with the
presidents of the various North Caucasus republics. It was
decided to set up a committee for the return of all IDPs in
the region. No further details are available.
SIGNIFICANT POPULATION MOVEMENTS
As a consequence of the renewed fighting in Grozny and the
ultimatum issued on 17 August by the acting federal
commander General Pulikovsky, a massive outflow of citizens
from Grozny led to a new displacement of tens of thousands
of people within Chechnya and to an influx of some 14,000
IDPs into Ingushetia, 1,000 IDPs into North Ossetia and
3,000 IDPs into Daghestan. As in the past, the majority of
these arrivals were accommodated with host families. The
Federal Migration Service estimated that 7,000 persons had
left Chechnya for other republics and regions of the
Russian Federation.
Taking account of the outflow from Grozny, and allowing for
some return movement, it was estimated at the end of
September that there were 78,000 IDPs from Chechnya in the
immediately surrounding republics, consisting of 42,000
IDPs in Ingushetia, 2,000 in North Ossetia and 34,000 in
Daghestan. Some 8,000 IDPs from Chechnya were also reported
in Kabardino-Balkaria, and 52,000 IDPs and refugees of
various origins in Stavropol Territory.
DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
On 27 August UNHCR, ICRC and NGOs began providing emergency
assistance to Chechen IDPs who had fled from Grozny. By
early September, UNHCR had distributed in Ingushetia,
Daghestan and, for the first time, in Chechnya itself
(using ACF as an implementing partner for certain locations
in Chechnya): 7,000 family food parcels (FFP) donated by
Saudi Arabia, 2,000 jerrycans, 4,000 blankets, 600 kitchen
sets and 300 plastic sheets for roof repair. The UNHCR
target population was 32,000 persons at nine locations in
Chechnya.
The Government of Ingushetia, reversing its previous
position, requested WFP to implement its programme as set
out in the UN Consolidated Appeal document and to include
the new influx. WFP decided to apply the same criteria of
vulnerability as to the old caseload, namely:
- persons over 60 years
- families with more than 3 children below 18
- mothers living alone with children
- orphans and invalids.
With these criteria 70 percent of the IDPs qualified. WFP
thus established a planning figure of 44,000 people in
Ingushetia and 11,000 in North Ossetia.
UNHCR chartered one Ilyushin 76 to airlift urgently needed
non-food supplies from warehouses in Belgium. The aircraft
landed in Vladikavkaz on 30 August and distribution began
immediately.
WFP airlifted 140,000 prepared meals in the form of
humanitarian daily rations (HDRs), enough to feed 20,000
IDPs from Grozny for one week, until other arrangements
were made. The aircraft landed in Makhachkala on 8 and 15
September.
A WHO mission visited Daghestan and Ingushetia in early
September to assess the risk of a cholera outbreak (some
cases having been reported) and to prepare for a timely
epidemic response. The mission also provided some
consumable supplies (culture media, antibiotic sensitivity
test reagents) and completed the opening of a prosthetics
workshop in Nazran, Ingushetia.Three prosthetics
technicians will provide equipment to some 200 victims of
the war as well as hands-on training to local prosthetics
technicians.
In Daghestan, work commenced on the Aktash River project
which will improve water supply to the IDPs and the local
population in Khasavyurt, and school books were distributed
to IDP children.
REQUESTS FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Following the exodus from Grozny the DHA Coordinator
traveled to the region on 20-23 August to review
preparations for the distribution of emergency assistance
and met with the Prime Ministers of Ingushetia and North
Ossetia.
He then met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 11
September with Ambassador Kolokolov who reiterated the need
for continued UN assistance in the republics neighboring
Chechnya, stating that many IDPs will not be able to
return home while the situation remains unstable. With
regard to the Russian Federation's earlier request for an
inter-agency assessment mission to Chechnya, Mr. Kolokolov
said that, under the current conditions, it did not seem
that it was possible for such a mission to proceed at the
present time.
As provided for in the 1996 Consolidated Inter-Agency
Appeal, and at the repeated request of the local
authorities in Ingushetia and Daghestan, UNHCR undertook
several missions to Chechnya from both Ingushetia and
Daghestan to meet with the local and federal forces to
assess what assistance could be provided in the border
areas which would facilitate the return of the remaining
IDPs. The UNHCR missions were welcomed by various
factions, as well as by the security forces who pledged
to provide security during forthcoming UNHCR activities
and to do all that they could to encourage the remaining
IDPs to return home. Following these missions,
consultations were held, in Moscow, with the DHA
Coordinator when it was decided to target three villages
bordering Ingushetia and three bordering Daghestan which
are not heavily damaged and to which, with modest repairs
to water and gas installations, clinics and schools, IDPs
could return.
At the same time, UNHCR is examining the registers of
IDPs in order to prepare lists of persons who might be
ready to return to these same villages. In the
meanwhile, UNHCR also visited IDPs in Kabardino-Balkaria
and Stavropol Territory to see what assistance could be
provided.
II. DHA ACTIVITIES
The DHA Coordinator conducted donors' meetings in Moscow
in August and September, in the course of which he
informed donors of the UN response to the situation in
Grozny. At the donors meeting in September, ICRC
informed participants of its revised appeal for 1996.
On 9 September the Director of DHA in New York met with
the First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian
Federation to the UN. The latter reported that,
according to government figures, 10,000 MTs of
humanitarian supplies had been sent to Chechnya during
1994-96: 7,042 MTs by the Russian Ministry for Emergency
Situations, 1,158 MTs by regions and republics of the
Russian Federation and 1,795 MTs by international
organisations and NGOs.
A DHA inter-agency mid-term review team will visit the
North Caucasus from 22 to 29 October 1996.
III. OTHER OBSERVATIONS
SECURITY
The two Action Contre la Faim (ACF) workers kidnaped in
Chechnya at the end of July 1996 were released in good
health after three weeks of detention. ACF subsequently
withdrew from Grozny, as did the Hare Krishna Food of
Life Charity.
In mid-September two ICRC staff members were briefly
abducted from a hospital near Grozny.
On 26 September three Italian aid workers of the Intersos
organisation were kidnaped while traveling to from Nazran
to Grozny with a load of medical supplies.
A man died in Makhachkala when the device he was carrying
exploded prematurely outside the entrance to the building
of the Council of Ministers.
ICRC APPEAL
On 12 September ICRC launched an appeal for nearly 18
million Swiss francs to cover the increase in its
activities in and around Chechnya, bringing the total
cost of the revised ICRC 1996 emergency appeal to 47
million Swiss francs. The revised programme is to be
implemented by 92 expatriate and 467 local staff.
Against this appeal, ICRC has received almost nine
million Swiss francs.
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UNITED NATIONS OFFICE IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Moscow
Mr. Christopher Carpenter
Tel.:(7 095) 284.3220 - 973.1893
Fax:(7 095) 973.1960
COMPLEX EMERGENCY DIVISION (CED) - New York
Mr. Bradley Foerster
Tel.:(1 212) 963.1834
Fax:(1 212) 963.3630
INTER-AGENCY SUPPORT BRANCH (IASB) - Geneva
Mr. Arjun Katoch
Tel.:(41 22) 788.6381
Fax:(41 22) 788.6386
Press to contact (DHA-Geneva)
Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo
Tel.:(41 22) 917.2856
Fax:(41 22) 917.0023
Telex: 414242 DHA CH
E-Mail: dhagva at dha.unicc.org