North Caucasus: 100-200 Chechens arriving in Ingushetia daily

Between 100 and 200 displaced people from Chechnya are now entering neighbouring Ingushetia every day, fleeing continuing insecurity in Chechnya, according to UNHCR's monitors in the region. Most of the arrivals are joining relatives in the IDP camps in Ingushetia, which already shelter some 200,000 people. Returns to Chechnya average about 50 people a day. Many of these people have been staying in private accommodation, which they can no longer afford. UNHCR is providing additional tents with beds and mattresses in the Aki-Yurt camp for those who do not want to go back to Chechnya and cannot afford private shelter.

On Wednesday, (19 July) nine truckloads of UNHCR supplies were delivered to the Chechnya village of Kurchaloy, south of the town of Gudermes. It was the third convoy of UNHCR relief supplies to Chechnya since February and brought 170 MT of food items (72 MT of rice, 5,1 MT of vegetable oil, 1,9 MT of salt, one MT of pearl barley and 90 MT of buckwheat). Local authorities will carry out the distribution under the scrutiny of three UNHCR monitors from one of our local NGO partners (Fund of the Social Protection for Children).

In all, UNHCR has sent 81 convoys to the North Caucasus since last October, 67 of them to Ingushetia.