Six months of Evkurov's presidency in Ingushetia: estimates are controversial

Half a year ago, on October 31, 2008, Yunus-Bek Evkurov was appointed President of Ingushetia and replaced Murat Zyazikov, who had headed the Republic since March 2002 and was dismissed before term after mass protests and unrests flooded Ingushetia.

The new President started his rule of the region, instable for a couple of years, with an attempt to remove tension in the society, restore respect for the authorities and once lost trust of the population.

First of all, Yunus-Bek Evkurov launched a dialogue with the opposition, which had actively demanded to change the former leadership. Some of the oppositionists (Magomed-Sali Aushev, Musa Pliev and Kaloy Akhilgov) took leading posts in the new government and other power bodies.

Certain changes could also be seen in relations with the human rights community. President has more frequent meetings with local NGOs and relatives of kidnapped, murdered and convicted residents of Ingushetia.

On the positive side of his activity, observers also note his efforts to reconcile feudists; this work is held by local elders under Mr Evkurov's initiative. This action has already brought to peace over 20 out of a hundred conflicting Ingush families.

Moreover, the President held a thorough comb-out of state bodies from corrupt officials. From the start of this year, a number of high-ranking bureaucrats were arrested for wasting budgetary money.

Possibly due to these steps, the new President managed to get increased funding from the federal centre. In the end of last President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev allocated 29 billion roubles for the Programme "Socioeconomic Development of the Republic of Ingushetia in 2009-2015". The Programme assumes to build several small plants, production shops, factories, objects of education and health care, etc.

Certain steps are taken to strengthen the authority's control over law enforcement bodies. The Republic has started a telephone hotline to be used by local residents for complaining against violations of their rights. Besides, in the end of 2008, the Public Commission on Human Rights was set up under the President, including MPs, power agents, NGO members and ordinary citizens of the Republic.

As to the other, same painful problem of the Prigorodny District, the President let know that he was not going to change its territorial status; however, he thought reasonable to ensure a prompt return of Ingush refugees to their prior residence in the territory of North Ossetia.

At the same time, despite of all these measures, so far, the President has failed to take the situation in the region under his full control. After some pause in the first two months after change of power, the situation in Ingushetia again becomes tense.

According to the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", Ingushetia sees a sharp growth of the count of murders: for the four months this year, human rights activists have recorded 59 murder cases.

"Despite many positive trends as consequences of the change of Republic's leadership, the main problem of Ingushetia - confrontation of law enforcement bodies and underground bandits - continues. While earlier power agents were mostly attacked, now the civil population is among the victims. The issue of kidnappings is still pressing," one of local observers describes the situation.