Russian Federation - ICRC-01: 28-May-98
Russian Federation - ICRC-01: 28-May-98
International Committee of the Red Cross
Update No. 1
Russian Federation/Northern Caucasus
28 May 98
No more war, but plenty of needs and precarious security
Although the northern Caucasus is no longer in the limelight of public
attention, the situation there is still far from normal. Nearly two
years after the end of hostilities in Chechnya, negotiations regarding
its future status remain deadlocked, leaving the separatist republic in
virtual political and economic isolation. Almost six years have gone by
since the conflict between Ingushetia and North Ossetia took place but
thousands of people have not yet been able to return to their homes in
the Prigorodny district (North Ossetia).
A large section of the region's population - mostly destitute elderly
persons, orphans and disabled people living in urban areas- is
poverty-stricken, lacking access to basic health care and food. As the
state social security system has dwindled away, they urgently need
assistance.
A broad spectrum of ICRC activities
The ICRC is assisting particularly vulnerable people mainly through
cooperation programmes with the Russian Red Cross. It is funding social
welfare programmes of the local Red Cross branches in eight republics
(Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya, Chechnya,
Daghestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and, since January 1998, Kalmykia)
and the southern Russian regions of Krasnodar and Stavropol, where an
ICRC office was opened in May 1998. A team of ten delegates based in
Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkaria) is monitoring activities throughout the
region.
In the republics of Chechnya, Daghestan, Ingushetia and North Ossetia,
security conditions still prevent the ICRC from having permanent
expatriate staff. Political and criminal interests, which often go hand
in hand in this region, account in part for the high degree of
instability. The ICRC has therefore opted for a "remote control"
approach, i.e. assistance is distributed by local ICRC employees
(totalling 140 in the northern Caucasus) and by branches of the Russian
Red Cross, coordinated and supervised by the ICRC in Nalchik. To keep
track of humanitarian needs, gain a better understanding of the
situation and build up contacts with the authorities, ICRC expatriates
will continue to conduct sporadic missions to these republics.
Health activities
The Russian Red Cross home visiting nurses programme, which is financed
by the ICRC and managed by the local Red Cross branches in each
republic, ensures basic medical care for housebound elderly people. Red
Cross nurses visit them regularly in their homes and provide them with
health care and medicines. The ICRC pays the nurses' salaries and
supplies the medicines. At present there are 115 nurses assisting 1,400
patients in the eight northern Caucasus republics. The project is
shortly to be extended to the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. In
addition, the ICRC is planning to organize three training courses for
the nurses involved in the programme this year.
The Republican Blood Transfusion Centre in Grozny is about to resume
functioning. The ICRC provided support for its rehabilitation and bought
the necessary equipment, which was installed by local workmen. The ICRC
will initially assist the centre by providing the requisite supplies.
Pumping station No. 1 maintained by the ICRC in Grozny remains one of
the chief sources of drinking water for the city. The ICRC donated a
fleet of six water trucks to the local water authorities which
distribute nearly 1.5 million litres of clean water each week. Through
local staff, it keeps monitoring water and sanitation projects both in
Grozny and the Khasavyurt area (Daghestan) and will continue to inform
the population about the risks inherent in using contaminated water,
especially the increased risk of epidemics during the hot summer months.
A contingency stock of medicines and medical material is kept in Nalchik
to enable the ICRC to meet increased needs of medical facilities, should
there be an epidemic or a renewed outbreak of violence.
Relief activities
In addition to the 1,400 patients benefiting from the home visiting
nurses programme, the Red Cross branches provide another 1,400
particularly vulnerable people with food and other essential items as
part of their social assistance programmes in the eight republics. In
the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, about 4,800 vulnerable people
receive such assistance every three months.
Since September 1997 the ICRC has been running a bread programme in
Grozny enabling 8,000 mostly elderly people of Russian origin to obtain
bread several times a week. The programme is about to be extended to
Argun and Gudermes, bringing the number of beneficiaries to more than
10,000. The ICRC also provides monthly assistance for over 300 people
living in specialized institutions in Grozny and, to enable youngsters
across Chechnya to continue their lessons, it plans to distribute school
materials to about 70,000 children.
Over and above its regular programmes, the ICRC maintains sufficient
operational capacity in Nalchik to respond to any emergency needs - as
was the case in early 1998 when it assisted 450 internally displaced
people in Ingushetia with jerrycans, stoves, blankets and candles and
distributed food parcels to 1,800 displaced persons in
Kabardino-Balkaria. In April, mudslides caused by torrential rain
destroyed almost 500 homes in a village in north-eastern Chechnya. The
local Red Cross branch was able to help out by distributing 200 food
parcels and 400 hygiene kits supplied by the ICRC.
Protection
Despite the cease-fire agreement, the fate of people captured during the
hostilities remains a major concern for the ICRC. It is maintaining
contact with the authorities and a number of local non-governmental
organizations dealing with this issue. On behalf of the families
concerned, the ICRC is requesting the federal authorities to provide
information on the whereabouts of prisoners formerly visited by the
ICRC. It will continue to follow up these cases.
As postal services are not yet operating normally in Chechnya, the need
for other ways to restore family links persists. The ICRC will therefore
maintain the Red Cross message network, in cooperation with the local
Red Cross committee.
Dissemination
In the complex context of the northern Caucasus, it is particularly
difficult to put the humanitarian message across convincingly and
consistently. To ensure that its local staff and the local Russian Red
Cross committees are better equipped for this task, the ICRC will
continue to put special emphasis on training in knowledge of the Red
Cross movement, its principles and humanitarian law. It is also working
to extend contacts with the media, namely with the Russian military
press, which it established during the Chechen conflit. It is planning
to conduct landmine awareness and public health information campaigns
jointly with the local authorities.
As in the rest of the Russian Federation, the ICRC's schools and
university programmes are carried out in cooperation with the
educational authorities in the northern Caucasus republics where other
ICRC activities are under way, with the exception of Chechnya, and in
the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions.
distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
Disaster Information Center lists: listproc@vita.org
sitreps nat-dsr
web: www.vita.org appeal fireline
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
comments/suggestions/requests to incident@vita.org