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Email this citationCIAO DATE: 11/04
Chechen Militia Threaten Increased Terrorism
Tamara Makarenko
May 2003
Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence
St. Andrews University, Scotland
Abstract
Chechen resistance movements have reorganised to adjust to the post 11 September 2001 security environment, and appear to be adopting more lethal terrorist tactics. Tamara Makarenko reports.
On 23 March Moscow co-ordinated a referendum in Chechnya to seek approval for a new regional constitution designed by Kremlin officials as part of an effort to undermine the foundation of Chechen resistance.
According to official Russian reports, a staggering 96% of voters supported the draft constitution, which would make Chechnya an "indivisible" and "integral part of the territory of the Russian Federation."
As a member of the international counter-terrorism coalition, Moscow had been under increasing pressure to find a peaceful resolution to the Chechen conflict, and these efforts can be seen as the first major step towards this goal.
Key to the referendum's success were Russian promises to decrease the size of its armed presence in the breakaway republic from 80,000 to 20,000 troops and to devolve power to Chechen authorities.
