EU Commissioner Nielson deplores the announced closure of another refugee camp in Ingushetia

In reaction to the imminent closure of the Alina refugee camp in Ingushetia by the Russian and Ingush authorities, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Affairs, Poul Nielson, said: "I am deeply concerned by the closure of yet another camp in Ingushetia, especially during the harsh Caucasian winter. It is the third camp to be closed in Ingushetia in twelve months, in addition to the closure of a camp in Chechnya last year. I wish to recall that people displaced by the conflict in Chechnya should be allowed to stay in Ingushetia if they do not want to return yet. They should enjoy protection and assistance there. In order to respect the principle of voluntary return, authorities have to make sure that internally displaced persons who want to stay in Ingushetia for the moment are offered decent living conditions. Tented camps should only be closed if proper alternative accommodation is available and if IDPs are duly informed about possibilities of relocation. If this is not the case, there will be an assumption that some of the people who return to Chechnya do so for lack of other solutions rather than of their own free will. As long as the situation in Chechnya does not allow for a return there in decent conditions, IDPs should have the right to stay where there are currently.

I recall that ECHO has continuously offered to provide alternative accommodation and has funded the construction of 180 very good quality rooms which, unfortunately, have remained empty since February because Ingush authorities do not authorise IDPs to move there. In view of the pressing needs due to the closure of Alina camp, where some 800 people are still registered, I urge once again the authorities to allocate these rooms to the families who need urgent shelter and to let the international community build adequate shelter in Ingushetia for the displaced and upgrade water and sanitation infrastructures in the camps where some of the families are going to be relocated".


Background :

The European Commission, through ECHO, is the main donor of humanitarian aid to the victims of the conflict in Chechnya, with more than 120 million euros allocated since the beginning of the second conflict for the most vulnerable people in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Daghestan. ECHO has given continued assistance to the camp of Alina, which is about to close, as to all other camps.

In Alina, for infrastructure works only (replacement of tents, construction of a primary school, construction of a shower block), ECHO spent at least 150,000 euros, and in addition to this it funded for several years the distribution of food, hygiene items, bed items and firewood for the winter, for the benefit of the 3,000 IDPs hosted there at the time.

The European Commission and the EU Member States have recalled several times the importance of the principle of voluntary return and have insisted on the importance of offering alternative shelter to internally displaced persons so that they can decide to stay in Ingushetia if they so wish. So far, authorities have not allowed ECHO to build sufficient shelter to accommodate all potential needs. In parallel, movements of people back to Chechnya have significantly increased in the last months, despite the fact that the security and humanitarian situation there has not improved.

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