The Ossetian-Ingush conflict has been waged by two small nations that have been living side by side on the same territory for many centuries. The aggravated phase of the confrontation began in 1992, but armed clashes took place only five days - from the thirty-first of October to the fourth of November of that year.
Background
The main "bone of contention" was the Prigorodny district, on the territory of which the Alans, then the Ingush, lived at different times.
During the Stalinist repressions, Ingush and Chechens were deported to Kazakhstan and Siberia, and the liberated land was included in North Ossetia and settled by Ossetians.
Fifteen years after the tragic events, it was decided to rehabilitate and return the Chechens and Ingush to their native territories, and they began to occupy their villages again. But the Ossetians were not ready to give up the lands on which they had already settled down. Therefore, the Prigorodny district was left as part of North Ossetia, and in return the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic received several other territories.
In the summer of 1992, the Ingush Republic was formed as part of the Russian Federation, but its borders were not clearly defined, and the Prigorodny district remained in the zone of interests of Ossetians and Ingush. Amid this difficult situation, armed conflict was provoked.
The beginning of hostilities
On October 30, 1992, shelling of the Ingush villages of the Prigorodny district began, so that the Ingush left these lands forever. On the night of October 30–31, a conflict occurred between the military units of the warring republics, and on November 1, Russian troops were brought into the territory. Then they organized the Emergency Committee for the Salvation of the Ingush population, whose task was to evacuate people from the war zone. After the Russian troops divorced the warring parties, the Ossetians began to take hostages and kill the Ingush. Almost the entire Ingush population was forced to leave their homes and flee to Ingushetia.
Effects
The Ossetian-Ingush conflict caused many deaths, more than 600 people died, almost 1000 were injured, many people went missing. Thirteen Ingush villages of the Prigorodny district were destroyed, where military operations took place. More than ninety percent of the cultural and historical values in this territory were lost forever.
As a result of the conflict, about thirty thousand Ingush were deported from Ossetia. At the same time, many died during a long transition across the border.
Any significant events in Ingushetia or Ossetia did not occur after that, and now the conflict has become protracted.
Further developments
The active actions that made up the Ossetian-Ingush conflict occurred more than twenty years ago, but during this time their consequences were not completely eliminated. Both parties have repeatedly entered into various agreements, which, however, did not advance the resolution of the causes of the conflict. So, Ingushetia demands the return of the Prigorodny district to its composition and claims that Ossetia is delaying the resettlement process. And that, in turn, indicates that the number of Ingush refugees is overstated, in addition, the region does not yet have the necessary moral and psychological situation for the two peoples to live together.
Attempts to resolve the conflict
In 2004, Putin signed a decree under which the resettlement of refugees was assigned to his office in the Southern Federal District.
In 2005, Ingushetia was the only Russian region that did not have administrative boundaries. According to one of the laws, they should be determined taking into account the seized lands that are part of Ossetia. According to another law, changing the borders of territories can occur only by mutual agreement of the parties, which could not be achieved. Later that year, a strategic plan was drawn up, which should complete the Ossetian-Ingush conflict. This plan describes in detail the timing of the return of the Ingush, the places where they were supposed to be resettled, and many other details. However, Dzasokhov, the president of Ossetia, refused to sign this document.
Thus, the conflict in Ossetia, which began over a small piece of land, has been going on for two decades now, and so far there is no real way to end it.