Salute to the Chechens

FORMER Russian President Boris Yeltsin's arrogant claim in Jerusalem on January 6 that "It (conflict in Chechnya) will last two months and then we will put our flag on Chechnya" essentially hints at further intensification of Russian military manoeuvres against the Chechen rebels. Already, the situation in the region has gone way out of control and the whole of Caucasus stands at risk of getting drawn into the vortex of killing and getting killed. Yet, the international community's response has been largely apathetic. Obviously, no one wants to rekindle the nuclear bellicosity of the former Soviet regime against the West by being forthright in criticism of the state-sponsored terrorism unleashed on, needless to say, the innocent civilians by and large in the name of an anti-terrorist drive. Overall, the odds seemed heavily stacked against the Chechen separatists. Still, they have not caved in, even after being pursued relentlessly since October 1 last year. Their struggle for freedom from the clutches of Russia has weathered all sorts of brutality for more than three months and they appear braced to brave whatever comes their way in future. Unflinching commitment to the cause in the testiest of times certainly makes their struggle glorious and their spirit admirable.

However the ground reality is: the Chechen freedom fighters, despite their unflappable determination and endurance, stand little chance against an army that ranks possibly next to that of the United States. And until and unless the international community intervenes as it has in the Kosovo crisis, the Caucasian republic would turn into a mass graveyard. The genocide the Russian army has already embarked upon would go down in the annals as equal to that perpetrated by Hitler's Nazi forces. As well as curbing a gross human rights violation, the international community should act out of a concern for an outbreak of armed conflict throughout Caucasus.

The situation there stands already on the fringe, thanks to Russia's unabated brutality and the international community's silent role. Time has come to put an end to the Chechen ordeal, once and for all. If it was brutality in Kosovo by the Serbians and in East Timor by the Indonesians, it is definitely a similar case in Chechnya, if not graver. Just because Russia has got nuclear might does not change the reality. Not at all. The international community must wake up to that and act fast to force Russia to pull back its paw and go for a solution with the Chechens that will be politically acceptable to them. If there is the need of an East Timor-styled referendum, so be it. The Chechens deserve what they are rightfully due.