Macedonian Refugee Camp Abruptly Emptied;
Thousands Forced Back to Kosovo

Source: http://www.redcross.org/news/inthnews/99/4-7-99.html

Doug Rekenthaler Jr., Managing Editor, DisasterRelief.org

A day after ripping NATO leaders for failing to recognize the
humanitarian consequences of their airstrikes against Yugoslavia, the
Macedonian government early Wednesday abruptly moved tens of
thousands of refugees from a squalid border crossing into vast new tent
cities set up by NATO forces and relief agencies. More worrisome,
however, was Yugoslavia's decision to close all border crossings leading
out of Kosovo, effectively trapping thousands of Kosovars in the conflict
zone.

Working through the night, Macedonian authorities moved tens of
thousands from the camp at Blace, which had drawn international
condemnation for its horrific living conditions. But on Wednesday, the sun
rose over a desolate wasteland. Gone were the teeming masses of
desperate refugees, huddled against the rain and cold, collapsing from
exposure and disease. In their place stood mountains of trash, mud, and
human waste.

Most of the refugees were moved to a gleaming new NATO tent city in
Brazda, and thousands of others found temporary new homes at other
relief camps nearby. NATO officials said the Brazda camp could hold up
to 60,000 people, and that six other tent cities were being constructed and
supplied in advance of the arrival of additional refugees. Witnesses said
the new enclaves are "an immense improvement" over the conditions at
Blace. Refugees have access to food, shelter, clean water, and medical
care.

Of serious concern to NATO leaders, however, is the fate of the tens of
thousands of refugees who had been waiting to enter Macedonia from the
Kosovo side of the border. By morning, they were gone, forced to turn
back by Serb forces who told them it was safe to return home (ostensibly,
because of Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic's call for a unilateral
ceasefire. NATO leaders dismissed the ceasefire and continued their
bombing campaign).

Serb forces also closed the border crossings into Albania, where officials
with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
estimated 262,000 ethnic Albanians have sought refuge.

Relief officials in Albania and Macedonia expressed concern about the
fate of the Kosovars, questioning whether the Serbs might use the
refugees as human shields to deter NATO bombing attacks.

On Tuesday, Macedonian Prime Minister Lupco Georgievski blasted
NATO leaders as "completely irresponsible" in failing to anticipate the
enormous humanitarian crisis that would result from the bombing
campaign. "The people in Brussels [NATO headquarters] started the war
and left for Easter holidays," he said. "They left the problem for
Macedonia."

Georgievski said 81,000 refugees have been registered by Macedonian
officials, and he estimated that the country has absorbed at least 130,000
ethnic Albanians since the bombing campaign began two weeks ago. In
all, nearly 450,000 Kosovars have fled that country since the start of
hostilities.

In Albania, Greek and Italian forces were setting up several tent cities to
hold 100,000 refugees near Kukes. The United Nations' World Food
Program said at least 80 percent of the refugees in Albania have now
been provided with food packets. NATO also is setting up three tent
cities in Albania and airlifting supplies to the region.

Meanwhile, the effort to airlift tens of thousands of refugees to host
nations continued on Wednesday. Turkey accepted 3,000 more Kosovars
on Tuesday. Turkey, which has strong historical and religious ties to
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian population, has agreed to take 20,000 refugees.
Germany said it will accept 40,000, the U.S. 20,000, and several other
NATO countries indicated they will accept several thousand each.

In another development, Spyro Kyprianou, the acting president of Cyprus,
indicated he will travel to Belgrade today to seek the release of three
American soldiers detained by Serb forces. Kyprianou said his mission
was strictly humanitarian and that he was not going to discuss any issues
related to the conflict itself.


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