Old conflict smouldering, not extinct

Four families of forced migrants from North Ossetia's Prigorodnyi district have been at Checkpoint 105 on the administrative border between North Ossetia and Ingushetia for eight days, Memorial Human Rights Centre says. Rashid-Magomed Pliyev, deputy chairman of Ingushetia's Refugees and Forced Migrants Committee, says government committees of North Ossetia and Ingushetia, as well as North Ossetia's Nationalities Ministry reached an agreement on 17 April 2005 that the four Ingush families would return to their former homes in Chermen, North Ossetia, and signed a corresponding protocol. Representatives of the four returning families had previously come to Chermen to meet their former neighbours and were received quite favourably.

On 20 April, the Arsamakovs (eight), Bogatyriovs (four), Kusiyevs (four) and Miziyevs (ten) loaded trailers and personal possessions on trucks and went to North Ossetia. The column was stopped at Checkpoint 105 at 8:15 am. Checkpoint officers explained to the refugees their former Ossetian neighbours were against their coming back to their farmsteads, which made their movement there impossible.

On 21 April, representatives of the Ingush public with Kazbek Sultygov, chairman of the Refugees and Forced Migrants Committee, at the head came to Chermen for talks. No dialogue occurred, however, and Rashid-Magomed Pliyev says the Ingush officials were insulted. The federal government has not responded to what happened.

There have been other reports lately that tensions between North Ossetia and Ingushetia may again develop into a conflict. Meanwhile, the Russian government continues to be passive in settling issues.

More about Ossetian-Ingush conflict:

• Ossetian-Ingush conflict
• Present-day situation in 1992 Ossetian-Ingush conflict area (as of March 2002)