Some 1,500 refugees remain in Ingushetia's last tent city

Some 1,500 people remain in Ingushetia's last tent city of Satsita, which is located near the Ingush village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya.

Over 300 people have left Satsita over the past month, Igor Yunash, first deputy head of the Russian Federal Migration Service, told on April 28. "From five to six families leave the tent city for Chechnya each day," he said.

Refugees returning to Chechnya continue to receive humanitarian aid and social benefits, Yunash said. He stressed that refugees are not being forced to return.

Commenting on the intention of the Chechen authorities to close the tent city by the end of April, Yunash said, "We are not giving ourselves or the refugees any deadlines."

"According to our information, people will be leaving the tent city more actively at the end of May. This is for objective human reasons: children will finish their school year, and it's also more convenient to move in the summer," he said.

Commenting on human rights activists' criticism of the situation in the tent city, Yunash said, "We are not avoiding human rights activists' visits. On the contrary, we welcome them. After visiting the tent city in person, they often become convinced that their conclusions were based on incorrect information."

Editors note: See also the article "Process of refugees' return to Chechnya slowed down".