The Threat
From November onwards, security incidents in Chechnya increased in number and seriousness once the date of the upcoming presidential elections were announced.
On 20 November, a delegate was abducted for a few hours by an armed group which apparently hoped to get one of their friends released by the Russians. He was freed on pressure of the highest Chechen authorities.
On the early morning of 24 November a group armed individuals entered the hospital compound. They entered into in the radio room which was located one the ground floor of the expatriate residence building and proceeded to dissemble the radio installations and steal all the equipment. Hearing noise from upstairs, the head of office went down to have a look. The robbers, being surprised, tackled him and shoved him into a corner and threatened him with a revolver to the temple. They left a small note whose translation said: “This here is for all the evil that you do.”
At the same time, two local employees of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were kidnapped in Grozny to be released a few hours later. During their debriefing, they explained that their kidnappers sought expatriates of the OSCE or ICRC and that if they had succeeded, the incident would have been much more serious, perhaps even murder. During a meeting of the ICRC in Grozny, someone asked why “small” organizations were still present (an expatriate of Merlin and two of MSF France) were not mentioned. The conclusion was that a blow to the two most visible organizations would attract much more media attention.
As a consequence, additional safety measures were implemented. At the Grozny delegation, the number of expatriates stationed was decreased sharply, the safety measures for travel was reinforced. The local authorities were asked to erect check points around the delegation building.
In Novye Atagi, the security delegate became much more present. He increased the number of guards and improved their rotation plans. But the ICRC, according to its principles, still refused to provide them with weapons. Checkpoints were also requested from the authorities, which promised them but didn't really implement them. The number of expatriate personnel was slightly reduced: one position of a teaching nurse was abolished and longer absences for rest and relieve were introduced.
Read more about this topic: ICRC Hospital Of Novye Atagi
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