World Vision Among Charities Ordered to Move HQ to Chechen Capital

Humanitarian organisations operating in Russia's troubled Chechnya region expressed concern on Friday over an official ultimatum that they should move their offices to the Chechen capital or be banned.

Chechen government officials told representatives of more than 20 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on Wednesday they had two weeks to move their regional headquarters to Grozny.

Nearly 30 NGOs -- among them international charities such as Medecins Sans Frontieres and World Vision -- work in Chechnya assisting people who suffered in a decade-long separatist war that devastated the region. But security concerns and official restrictions on movement mean many base their operations in neighbouring Russian regions.

"There is information that funds allocated for humanitarian needs are misused," said Ramzan Lechakhadzhiyev, a senior official in the administration of Chechnya's pro-Moscow president, Ramzan Kadyrov.

"To stop this, all headquarters and warehouses should be located in Grozny," he said. "They should move here if they want to continue their work."

NGO representatives said the ultimatum was unrealistic and complained about being pressured by Kadyrov, a 30-year-old former rebel who has built a personality cult in Chechnya.

"Moving offices, especially for big organisations in two weeks is just not possible," said the head of one NGO operating in Chechnya, requesting anonymity so his organisation would not fall foul of the government.

"I think a lot of organisations are thinking about moving to Grozny anyway, but they don't want to feel like they're being pressured ... I'm a little bit unclear on what basis they could force such a move," he said.


"BACK TO NORMAL"

A spate of kidnappings in the 1990s, including at least one in which a foreign contractor was beheaded, prompted many NGOs to move their offices out of Chechnya.

Kadyrov has managed to establish relative control over the region in the last few years, although sporadic attacks by separatists continue. Kadyrov says the region is returning to normal and has urged refugees, businesses and NGOs to move back.

Opening a military cadet school on Friday, he said the insurgency would soon be stamped out.

"By the end of 2007 there won't be a single rebel fighter left in the Chechen Republic," Kadyrov said. "Either they admit their guilt, come to security bodies and get jailed for their crimes, or be terminated."

NGOs said moving to Grozny would be logistically tricky.

"It is unrealistic to move the headquarters to Chechnya so fast," said Khadi Murtazaliyeva, coordinator of Canada's Care.

Movsar Khizriyev, who organises food programmes for Islamic Relief, said entry restrictions posed another problem. "It is always difficult for foreign organisations to get travel clearances," he said.