Action by Churches Together (ACT)
Chechnya Crisis  1/99
Geneva, October 8, 1999



ACT explores ways of helping victims of war in Chechnya

The conflict between Islamic separatists and Russian military followed by
air strikes and deployment of ground forces into Chechnya have prompted a
humanitarian crisis in Northern Caucasus.  Unknown numbers are displaced
within Chechnya itself while more than 100,000 people have sought refugee
in neighboring Ingushetia. ACT members in the region also estimate that
tens of thousands have fled to Daghestan as well as some thousands as far
away as Stavropol in southern Russia.

In Ingushetia many refugees are living in open fields with little or no
assistance offered to them. The normal population of Ingushetia is
approximately 300,000 and the republic's capacity to assist the refugees
with food, shelter and basic health services is already severely
overstreched. The UN's FAO yesterday issued a warning that Ingushetia is
barely able to feed its own population - let alone an additional 100,000
plus refugees. FAO also warned, that the fighting is likely to lead to a
significant loss of the recent harvest in Chechnya itself. In turn this
will lead to a food crisis there too.

Very few, if any, international aid organisations are currently addressing
the needs of the war affected populations in the region. The most obvious
reason for this lack of humanitarian activity is the fact that several
humanitarian agencies have had staffs either killed or kidnapped in and
around Chechnya during and after the previous war. The double security
risk of working in a war zone and potentially becoming a target for
kidnappers along with the challenges of securing supplies and storage in a
region known for widespread banditry, together pose a serious difficulty
to a humanitarian operation.

Despite these difficulties ACT member churches and partners in the region
are currently investigating means and ways of assisting some of the
victims of the war in Chechnya. The ACT Coordinating office will keep the
network posted on any progress as soon as it happens.

This alert may or may not be followed by an ACT Appeal for the Chechnya
Crisis.

For further information please contact:
ACT Communications Officer, Nils Carstensen
Tel.: ++ 41 79 358 3171



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Action by Churches Together (ACT) is a worldwide network of churches and
their related agencies, meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency
response.  The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of 
Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
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   Ecumenical Centre                          Phone: ++41-22-791.60.33
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