Chechnya

Although the overall security situation in the republic is in some ways better than several years ago and significant reconstruction efforts in infrastructure and housing are continuing, corruption, human rights abuses, abductions and sporadic fighting mean that the civilian population still feels at risk. Unemployment remains high, and there has been no political solution to the problems that originally led to armed conflict, and no comprehensive peace process to work towards reconciling the various sides of the conflict. The government provides basic services such as pensions, electricity and gas and has set up a functioning education system.

Due to over 15 years of warfare and instability in Chechnya, many people living in the republic ahve suffered the effects of traumatic events and violence such as killings, torture, kidnappings and bombardments. This is known to be more directly related to a significant increase in psychosocial and mental health problems, including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorders). The more recent deterioration in the security situation in Chechnya since July 2009 has included the murders of humanitarian activitists and a rapid rise in suicide attacks in public locations, particularly over the summer. The fear resulting in these most recent outbreaks of violence aggravates psychosocial trauma and increases stress levels among people living in Chechnya. Whereas during the war, civilians often had forewarning about when and where the next bombardment or operations might take place, today they face an unseen enemy who can strike anywhere at any time in the suicide bombers and extremists who wish to destabilise the republic.

Today Chechnya is being physically rebuilt, but the Chechen and Russian authorities are doing very little to address the problem of psychological trauma, which is still afflicting significant numbers of people in the republic. The Little Star psychosocial rehabilitation project supported by Peacebuilding UK helps to restore health and bring relief from suffering to the children and young people attending it, and thereby contributes to preventing further conflict in the region by addressing personal health issues that if not addressed would lead to continued cycles of violence. The project promotes nonviolent ways of dealing with problems and conflicts, in part by exploring stories with examples of nonviolence and reconciliation.

The surrounding area

The security situation in Ingushetia today is as tense, if not more tense than that in Chechnya, with repeated attacks on government employees and premises by militant and opposition groups, and widespread opposition to what is regarded by many as a weak, corrupt and ineffective leadership that is controlled by the Federal Security Bureau (FSB).

As a result of the stand-off between the Georgian and Russian governments over South Ossetia, there has been a steady trickle of refugees from South to North Ossetia. This has caused prices and tensions to rise as they often get re-housed in former Ingush houses, particularly in the disputed territory of the Prigorodny Region. Violence broke out in the Prigorodny Region in 1992, in which over 1000 people were killed and tens of thousands of Ingush were forced to flee from their homes into Ingushetia. Tensions in the Prigorodny Region were exacerbated by the Beslan school siege led by Chechen militants in 2004, which led to the death of 334 civilians, including 186 children.

There are regular reports of sporadic fighting and attacks in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachaevo-Cherkessia too, with increased tensions among the various ethnic groups in those republics.

Geographical Setting of Chechnya

Situated in the eastern part of the North Caucasus Chechnya is surrounded on nearly all sides by Russian Federal territory. In the west, it borders North Ossetia and Ingushetia, in the north, Stavropol Krai, in the east, Dagestan, and to the south, Georgia.