From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 7/5/2005 6:15 PM FROM THE CONFLICT REGION BULLETIN OF HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER "MEMORIAL" JUNE 2005 (the issue prepared by HRC "Memorial" in Nazran) Natural Disasters and Aerial Attacks in Itum-Kalinsky District of Chechnya. For 28 days an ancient mountainous village of Zumsoi is cut off the outside world
Spring rains have become yet another ordeal for the residents of mountainous Chechnya. Rains have washed off the roads and resulted in landslides. Itum-Kalinsky district has suffered most, the majority of settlements are inaccessible for motor vehicles, while the ancient village of Zumsoi has been fully cut off the outside world.
On June 1, 2005 as a result of a land-slide, the road between the villages of Ushkaloj and Zumsoi completely collapsed. The village of Zumsoi, where reside 8 families, became fully isolated from the outside world, not only transport, but also horses and people cannot get out to the mainland. The landslide turned a section of road into a steep mountain slope above precipice.
Usually due to hard accessibility, there is no organized catering into the Zumsoi and the neighboring villages. Every month the villagers collect money, hire a car and go downhill to the district center- the town of Itum-Kali (15 kilometers from the village) to buy food and kerosene for one month. During rains the mountaineers bring food by horses or donkeys. The recent disaster makes even this means of transport impossible. As of today, most families have used up their monthly supplies of food. The crops have not ripened yet, so the danger of famine is becoming quite realistic. Moreover, showers of rain have washed the soil off the vegetable gardens, so the crops will be very modest this year. There are very elderly people and small children in the village, in case of emergency they will have no access to medical aid.
The residents of Zumsoi have informed the Federal and republican Ministries of Emergency Situations about their problem, but there has been no reaction in the last 28 days. In despair some residents with great risk to their lives made their way above the abyss using spades and picks to get to the district food store. One family had to evacuate their children, so they tied the children to themselves and walked above the precipice.
On June 25-26 the monitors of HRC "Memorial" managed to get into the village using a similar method. We can testify that the situation is catastrophic, indeed.
The village of Zumsoi was founded in the 10th century and is of historical value to the Chechen culture (See Ivanenkov "Mountainous Chechens". Vladikavkaz. 1910. Pp. 11-12.). In the village there survived ancient towers,with petroglyphs of pre-Islamic period. Most of the residents of Zumsoi are direct off springs of the village founding fathers. Before the Stalinist deportation in 1944 there used to be 950 households; before the second Chechen war in 1999-36. Because of tough conditions (no electricity or gas) and out of fear of recurrent aerial attacks the families leave Zumsoi. In January 2005 the village was subjected to severe bombing for several days, then the paratroopers landed and kidnapped 3 men and a teenage boy. As of today, all of them remain missing. The last aerial attack at the outskirts of the village was registered on June 16.
Currently there remain 8 families in Zumsoi. All of them are below the poverty level. Humanitarian organizations and government provide no aid to Zumsoi.
Zumsoi is a typical mountainous village of Chechnya. The residents of Itum-kalinsky, Vedensky, Nozhaj-Yurtovsky districts of Chechnya experience similar problems.
"Memorial" appeals to the government of the Chechen Republic, the Ministries of Emergency situations of Russia and Chechnya to urgently liquidate the land slide in Itum-Kalinsky district of Chechnya. We ask humanitarian organizations to help underprivileged residents of mountainous Chechnya.
For information about humanitarian assistance, please, contact "Memorial" in Nazran: Phone/ fax 8 (8732) 22 23 49 e-mail: memorial@southnet.ru
FAX OF THE MINISTRY OF EMERGENCY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (095) 923 57 45
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