20:52, 29 August 2019

Chechen activists relate border conflict to tension with residents of Dagestan

The "Gerzelsky Bridge". August 19, 2019. Photo by Magomed Akhmedov for the "Caucasian Knot"

An incident between natives of Dagestan and Chechnya at the "Gerzelsky Bridge" checkpoint is related to the tension between the two republics amid disputes over the border and a discussion about the role of Imam Shamil provoked by Ramzan Kadyrov, believe Ruslan Kutaev, the chairman of the "Assembly of the Peoples of the Caucasus", and Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov.

On August 17, WhatsApp reported on a fight between residents of Dagestan and Chechnya on the bridge at the "Gerzelsky Bridge" checkpoint, as a result of which a resident of Chechnya died when falling from the bridge. According to Atabai Abasov, the head of the Dagestani village of Tsiyab-Tsolod, the conflict had no interethnic nature.

Some residents of Chechnya, who visited Dagestan after Ramzan Kadyrov voiced criticism against Imam Shamil, drew attention to the worsening attitude towards Chechens by some residents of the neighbouring republic.

"There was tension in both Dagestani and Chechen societies, and now it is still present," believes Lechi, a resident of Chechnya.

Since the conflict involved Chechens on the one side and Dagestanis on the other side, that fact gives reason to talk about the interethnic nature of the incident, notes Adlan, a resident of Chechnya.

However, some of the residents of Chechnya interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe that the conflict is not related to the tension between Dagestanis and Chechens amid the discussion about Imam Shamil.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 29, 2019 at 05:32 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: CK correspondents