20000108

70,000 refugees

return to

Chechnya

MOSCOW: More than 70,000 refugees have returned to Russian-held parts of the breakaway republic of Chechnya, ITAR-TASS news agency reported on Friday quoting the Federal Migrations Service.

"From Ingushetia, a major flux of departures has started," service director Vladimir Kalamanov was quoted as saying.

Kalamanov said between 1,000 and 1,500 people were leaving Ingushetia daily for neighbouring Chechnya. A total 34,290 refugees had returned to the regions of Naursky in the northwest, Shelkovsky (northeast) and Nadterechi (west), among the first to come under Russian control.

Around 190,000 refugees from Chechnya were still in Ingushetia, he said.

Kalamnov said people who had sought refuge in regions other than Ingushetia, mainly in the north Caucasus Russian regions, had also started to return to Chechnya.

"The people leave of their own will, there is no use of force," he was quoted as saying.

Ingushetia, a republic situated west of Chechnya, has borne the brunt of the refugee exodus since Russian aircraft started bombing on September 5.ÑAFP