Civil war in the Republic of Ingushetia

Civil war in Ingushetia
Part of the Second Chechen War and North Caucasus Insurgency[dubious – discuss]
Date July 2007 - present Location Ingushetia, Russia Result Conflict ongoing
Belligerents
Russian Federation Ingush government	Caucasus Emirate (Ingush Jamaat) Ingush opposition (2007-2008), ad-hoc revenge groups
Commanders and leaders
Murat Zyazikov (2007-2008) Yunus-Bek Yevkurov (2008-present)	Ilyas Gorchkhanov (KIA) Akhmed Yevloyev  (POW) Said Buryatsky (KIA)
Casualties and losses
400 policemen killed (2005-2010)[1]	Unknown
800 killed overall between 2002 and November 2008[2]

The civil war in Ingushetia began in 2007 as an escalation of an insurgency in Ingushetia connected to the separatist conflict in Chechnya. The conflict has been described as a civil war by local human rights activists and opposition politicians;^[2] others have referred to it as an uprising.^[3] By mid-2009 Ingushetia had surpassed Chechnya as the most violent of the North Caucasus republics.^[4]

History

In 2008 Magomed Yevloyev, owner of the highly critical opposition website Ingushetia.ru, was killed while in police custody. The aftermath of the killing was marked by an upsurge in separatist activity and animosity towards Russia and Russians among the Ingush population. At the center of this controversy was the deeply unpopular President Murat Zyazikov, a former KGB general who was criticized both by human rights groups and by some in the Russian government.^[5] The Ingush Interior Minister Musa Medov was targeted by a suicide bomber in October 2008.^[6] Eventually, Zyazikov was asked to resign. On 30 October 2008 Russian president Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree to remove Zyazikov from office and replace him with Lieutenant Colonel Yunus-bek Yevkurov.^[7] This was hailed by the Ingush opposition as a victory.

However, the violence did not end. According to police sources, nearly 50 people (including 27 rebels, 18 policemen and two civilians) died in the almost daily clashes in this small republic (less than 500,000 inhabitants) in the first three months of 2009.^[8] Assassinations and attempted assassinations of high-profile figures continued. On 10 June 2009 Aza Gazgireeva, the Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ingushetia, was gunned down,^[9] and on 13 June former Deputy Prime Minister Bashir Aushev was shot dead outside his home.^[10] Ingush President Yevkurov was seriously wounded in a suicide bomb attack on 22 June,^[9] and Construction Minister Ruslan Amerkhanov was shot dead in his office in August.^[11] In October 2010, the Islamist group Ingush Jamaat announced a moratorium on killing police officers; according to President Yevkurov, 400 police officers had been killed in Ingushetia in the five years to 2 October 2010.^[1]

See also

• 2004 Nazran raid
• 2009 Nazran bombing
• East Prigorodny conflict
• North Caucasus Insurgency 2009

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Ingushetia Militants Announce Moratorium On Killing Police". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 6 October 2010. http://www.rferl.org/content/Ingushetia_Militants_Announce_Moratorium_On_Killing_Police/2182877.html. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Galpin, Richard. Ingushetia in 'state of civil war', BBC News, 23 November 2008
3. ^ Blomfield, Adrian (1 September 2008). "Russia faces new Caucasus uprising in Ingushetia". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/georgia/2663222/Russia-faces-news-Caucasus-uprising-in-Ingushetia.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30. 
4. ^ Bigg, Claire. Five Years After Nazran, Ingushetia Still Plagued By Militant Violence, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 19 June 2009
5. ^ Vatchagaev, Mairbek (6 November 2008). "The Demise of Murat Zyazikov". Jamestown.org. http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=34104. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
6. ^ Abdullaev, Nabi (1 October 2008). "Suicide Bomber Fails In Nazran Attack Bid". Moscow Times. http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/1010/42/371343.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-20. 
7. ^ "Zyazikov Steps Down". North Caucasus Analysis. The Jamestown Foundation. 31 October 2008. http://www.jamestown.org/programs/nca/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=5246&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=169&no_cache=1. Retrieved 2011-05-08. 
8. ^ Dozens dead in Russian insurgency, BBC News, 17 April 2009
9. ^ ^{a b} "Attack on Russian regional leader". BBC News. 22 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8112109.stm. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 
10. ^ "Another Killing in Region Bordering Chechnya". Associated Press. New York Times. 10 June 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/world/europe/14ingushetia.html?_r=1&ref=world. Retrieved 2009-06-22. 
11. ^ Minister shot dead in restive Ingushetia, France24, 13/08/2009

External links

• Lokshina, Tanya. How Chechnya came to Ingushetia, The Guardian, 8 July 2008
• Leahy, Kevin Daniel. Ingushetia Insurgency Adds to Russia's North Caucasus Instability, World Politics Review, 18 Nov 2008
• Lokshina, Tanya. Ingushetia Under Siege, Human Rights Watch, July 1, 2009
• Pakhomenko, Varvara. Ingushetia abandoned, OpenDemocracy, 16 August 2009
• Ingushetia insurgency worsening, BBC News, 12 Nov 2009 (video)