Loick Barriquand is responsible for the programs of "Medecines sans frontieres"
(MSF) in Chechnya. He has witnessed the humanitarian drama which develops in the
small Caucasian republic and denounced the passiveness of the western countries
concerning the fate of civilians and refugees.
While the world governments are unwilling to oppose the destructive war waged
by the Russian forces in Chechnya, humanitarian organizations are once again called
in for help. For more than three years already Chechens have been subjected to
mass massacres, tortures, abductions and arbitrary arrests. More than 15% of the
population has been exterminated. These crimes are widely recognized but are committed
with the connivance of the "world community" having other strategic
priorities to negotiate with Russia.
Is it possible to help Chechen refugees? In the neighboring Ingushetia humanitarian
aid has always been accompanied by scandals: the federal authorities maintain
refugees in deplorable conditions in order to force them back into Chechnya. 1
The pressure has intensified after the new President Murat Zyazikov came to power:
"extrajudicial executions following disappearances," military detachments located
near refugee camps. The tent camp of Aki-Yurt was disassembled in December 2002,
the refugees were expelled, new tents - confiscated.
In late January we met all the families residing in the refugee camps in Ingushetia,
in total 16,408. More than 98% of them had no intention of returning to Chechnya,
92% cited insecurity as the primary reason. The pro-Kremlin Ingush authorities
have ordered us to demolish newly constructed 180 houses for refugees. It turns
out helping them has become illegal and now the authorities threaten us with expulsion.
Will it cause a response reaction from representatives of humanitarian
organizations, can we hope that Europeans will not pretend believing that Chechen
refugees return home voluntarily? Most probably - no.
Caution and persuasion are diplomatic manifestations of passiveness which is presented
as the so-called strategy of "a peaceful settlement of the conflict." Any firm
position concerning Russia is taken hysterically and brings no benefit. On March
24, the next day after the "referendum" in Chechnya, conducted in the war zone,
Dominique de Villepin declared before the Human Rights Commission in Geneva: "We
hope that the referendum will become the first step on the way towards a
political settlement of the conflict, the only possibility to put an end to violence
and terrorism. Being well aware of the problems facing Russia, we urge it to give
access to Chechnya to international and humanitarian organizations." This is not
for the first time when humanitarian aid is used to disguise the decision to abandon
the population. But in the given case there is one aggravating circumstance -
it achieves only a tiny part of the declared objectives, moreover, it
cooperates with the system which oppresses the population and makes it suffer
unbearable privations.
There shall be no discord in the activity of humanitarian organizations, they
must step by step discuss their places of work and any actions regarding the Russian
or pro-Russian authorities. Few, the Human Rights Commission in particular, are
ready to enter into confrontation with Russia in order to protect their right
to render direct assistance to the population. But they are becoming less in number
because the US and Europe reduce possible maneuvers practically to nothing. However,
judging by the programs of commissions and human rights and non-governmental organizations,
one might have an impression that all basic rights (to life, housing, water, health
care, education...) are observed in the republic. [...] But because of constant
dangers, no one, including MSF, takes the risk of sending international staff
to the North Caucasian republic, and the assistance which reaches the Chechen
population in reality is ridiculously small. [...]
Aside form that, there are administrative obstacles which are sure to swallow
any initiative. A relatively flexible practice is used: to make human rights and
non-governmental organizations limit their own rights. Constant danger allows
the military imposing military escorts and movement restrictions. The latter poses
an additional danger because it gives Russian troops a possibility to control
and orient assistance and to prevent necessary contacts with the recipients.
NGOs live in constant fear of attacks, their personnel can be abducted. Judging
by a long, but not a complete list of security "incidents" these fears are not
groundless, behind some of which are Russian troops, who is behind the rest -
remains a mystery: a brutal interrogation of Red Cross employees at a road-block,
attacks on convoys of the Danish Refugee Council, the July 2002 abduction of Nina
Davydovich, a representative of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, the abduction
of Arjan Erkel, the head of the MSF mission in Dagestan, in August last year,
the abduction of two Red Cross drivers and recently of other two
humanitarian employees. The fact that over the last nine months the federal authorities
have declined to provide any information about the fate of Arjan Erkel means they
want to change nothing.
(1) Chechnya-Ingushetia: non-assistance to people in danger, MSF, January 25,
2002.