Sept 26 (Reuters) - Rising violence in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia has led analysts to warn of a civil war which could destabilise Russia's north Caucasus region. Below are some facts about Ingushetia and the violence. * The smallest region in Russia, Ingushetia is wedged between North Ossetia and Chechnya. It is just over twice the size of Luxembourg with a population of around 470,000 people. * Ingushetia is one of Russia's poorest regions with an estimated unemployment rate of around 75 percent. * The Sufi branch of Islam is Ingushetia's main religion. It is one of 21 republics within Russia giving it a nominal autonomy with its own president, parliament and constitution. * The Soviet Union lumped Ingushetia and Chechnya together, but following its 1991 fall, Chechnya declared independence and Ingushetia chose to become a republic within Russia. * Relations between Ingushetia and North Ossetia are strained. Paramilitary groups fought a brief war in 1992 over a disputed district. Hundreds died and thousands became refugees. * Ruslan Aushev was Ingushetia's president from 1992-2001. He steered Ingushetia away from the conflict in Chechnya, where rebels fought federal forces in two wars from 1994. Backed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Murat Zyazikov, an ex-KGB general, took over as president in 2002. * During the second Chechen war in 1999, Ingushetia housed thousands of Chechen refugees. After 2002 Russian special forces cracked down on rebels they said lived in Ingushetia. In the single biggest rebel attack in 2004 on the largest city, Nazran, around 90 people died. * In the summer of 2007 gunmen started to break into the houses of non-Ingush people, killing several families. Attacks on police have also risen as have security actions against rebels. Assassins have tried to kill Zyazikov, targeting his car. Other high ranking local officials have been killed. Between Jan. and Aug. 2008, 93 people died, according to figures from Memorial. For a story on violence in Ingushetia double click [ID:nLP527321].(Writing by James Kilner in Moscow)
