Deceived and forgotten

The dwellers of a temporary accommodation point for forced migrants in Grozny complain of hard living conditions and a shortage of food.

An extremely difficult situation is taking shape in the temporary accommodation point for Chechen refugees in Mayakovskogo in Grozny's Staropromyslovskii district. The refugees complain of an acute shortage of food and a number of other problems.

"No humanitarian aid has been handed out to us for a long time already. One can say we are on the verge of hunger, as we have no income sources, no jobs," Maret, a 38-year-old dweller of the temporary accommodation point, told Caucasian Knot. "The living conditions here are much worse than those we had when we lived in tents in Ingushetia. At least humanitarian aid was given there regularly."

Maret says there are other problems, above those with food. "Water is brought here in road tankers, but it is impossible to drink it because it smells of diesel oil. Children are often ill, the sewerage system is inoperative and we are afraid of an outbreak of infectious diseases, but no one cares about our problems. When we lived in Ingushetia, everyone invited us home, tried to persuade us, promised normal living conditions, assistance, compensations. But once the people came back, they were forgotten," she believes.

Officials at the Migration Service Department of Chechnya's Internal Affairs Ministry claim the problem with supplies of humanitarian aid to temporary accommodation points for internally displaced people are linked with its absence in warehouses. "Humanitarian aide for internally displaced people first comes to warehouses in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria. They are currently empty. But we are told foodstuffs will be brought there in the next few days. At the beginning of next week, we will start handing out humanitarian aid to forced migrants and set off the existing arrears," an officer with the Migration Service Department says.