Click on the twistie below ()to expand each section:

Montenegro & the Balkans


Chechnya/Russian Caucasus

Although Chechnya officially declared itself independent in 1991, Moscow still considers it part of the Russian Federation. This tension resulted in war from 1994-1996, leaving 50,000 dead, and creating 400,000 refugees, destroying infrastructure and bringing about economic collapse. In August, fighting resumed and Russian forces began launching air and ground attacks in an attempt to oust Chechen fighters in September. Currently, Russian forces are attempting to gain control of the capital Grozny. Some 200,000 Chechens have fled to nearby Georgia, Ingushetia, Daghestan and North Ossetia - regions ill-equipped to handle the influx of refugees. Many refugees face the winter without shelter, food and medical care, and the security situation has forced the withdrawal of nearly all international organizations and their humanitarian assistance. In addition to the humanitarian crisis, analysts are also concerned because the war has the potential to spread to other areas of the Caucasus and could well have impact on the stability of the former Yugoslavia and other countries in the Balkans.

In the shadow of Russia and Chechnya fighting are other disputes in the Caucasus. Abkhazia, a region of Georgia, broke away from the country in 1992, sparking intense fighting that forced nearly 200,000 ethnic Georgians to flee. Abkhazia continues to demand sovereignty, while Georgia has made it clear that autonomy within a federation is all that it will offer. In addition, Azerbaijan continues to want sovereignty over the Nagorno-Karabakh region while Armenia wants autonomy for the territory. More than 30,000 people died and nearly a million people were displaced after the ethnic Armenian majority in Nagorno-Karabakh launched a rebellion in 1988. While a cease-fire was signed in 1994, peace talks remain deadlocked over Nagorno-Karabakh's future status within Azerbaijan. On December 15, talks were to resume. These conflicts continue to strain resources and contribute to political instability.

Please click here for a report from Physicians for Human Rights on human rights abuses in Chechnya.


Follow the links below for other regional reports: