Another tent camp dismantled in Ingushetia

The refugee camp Bart, located near the Ingush town of Karabulak, was totally dismantled on March 1, the deadline for eliminating of all Chechen refugee camps in Ingushetia as set by the Chechen government in mid-January.

"The last twelve tents were dismantled on March 1," said Akhmed Tomov, deputy head of the Ingush Migration Service, and added that 68 lorries had been allocated to transport the refugees' belongings.

According to Mr Tomov, approximately 100-110 refugees left Bart each day during the past few months. "Now it's Satsita and Sputnik's turn," he said, referring to the last two remaining tent camps.

"As for those who want to stay in Ingushetia permanently, we provide them with accommodation in Nazran. However, the bulk of them head for Chechnya and only 15-20 percent remain here," Tomov noted.

Migration officials refuse to admit to the allegations that they had pressured the refugees to leave. "They're going voluntarily; we received no specific plans or deadlines for dismantling the camps. And as soon as all the people leave, the camps will be shut down," said Ivan Pomeschenko, head of the Moscow Working Group for the Liquidation of Tent Camps in Ingushetia.

Nevertheless, human rights defenders insist that some form of pressure was applied. "Authorities promised the people money and even began paying them compensation for houses destroyed in Chechnya," said Ruslan Badalov, chairman of the Chechen National Rescue Committee.

Zarema Khaskhanova, an ex-Bart resident, does not believe her family will have a better life in Chechnya. "They promised us accommodation in a temporary accommodation center in Volnaya Street in the Oktyabrsky district of Grozny. I don't know what awaits us there, but it's not possible to stay here any longer. Kadyrov is said to have persuaded international organizations to transfer the distribution of relief aid to Chechnya, which means that no food will be distributed here in Ingushetia," she said.

Bart was the very first tent camp to be built in Ingushetia for Chechen refugees. According to the Ingush Migration Service, there were nearly 6,000 people living there as of late 1999.

Editors note: See also the article "Last refugees left Bart camp in Ingushetia".