The Chechen refugees that currently are residing in the Pankisi Gorge accuse
the UNHCR Georgian representation is selling the refugee aid on the black
market. Saipuddin Elenbayev, head of the Chechen refugees committee, told
the Georgian Times about the afore-mentioned.
According to Elenbayev, it si already the third winter that the refugees have
not received wood. Besides, the humanitarian aid appropriated for the refugees
is not being delivered to them at all. "We have addressed the UNHCR a couple of
times in regard with the issue. But they did not react," said Elenbayev to the
GT.
The Chechen refugees mistrust the UNHCR. They have sent an official letter about
it to the Geneva located central office of the UN organization that deals with
the related issues. They required the Geneva office to send a special commission
to study the aforesaid in Georgia.
"We receive aid only from the UN. Before the Pankisi Gorge was bombed by
the Russians, we received assistance from different organizations. The aid itself
was insufficient. Every month a family would get only cooking oil, a couple of
kilograms of beans and wheat flour. The aid many times did not reach us. In the
markets set up in the villages nearby the Pankisi Gorge, you would see this
aid being sold to people for money," added Elenbayev.
According to the information held by the GT, the Akhmeta and Kakheti local administration
were involved in these machinations. One driver, who sold the humanitarian assistance
appropriated for the refugees, said that he buys the flour from the individuals,
who in turn pay bribes to the local administration members. The driver did not
name the individuals who make business out of the humanitarian aid. "I only deal
with the mediators. They say that the local administration is in cahoots with
the UNHCR people, who sell them aid. I buy this aid and distribute it to
different villages of the Kakheti region," said the driver.
According to Sapuddin Elenbayev, the Chechen refugees are going to stage a protest
action concerning this issue on Friday. The GT tried to contact the UNHCR
office all day long, but all in vain. Later on, the representatives of the aforesaid
organizaton told the GT that they will comment upon the issue some time soon.