AT A GLANCE
- 3,600 refugees cross into Albania, most having walked for
days from towns as far away as Srbica.
- Around 3,000 people also crossed into Macedonia (FYROM)
after being taken to the border in trains and buses.
- Together, the arrivals on 14 April mark the highest one-day
total since Yugoslav authorities turned thousands of people back from borders on 7 April.
- High Commissioner Sadako Ogata meets with UN Secretary
General Annan and with NATO in Brussels.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
ALBANIA
Beginning Wednesday afternoon 14 April and lasting past
midnight, a steady stream of Kosovar refugees passed through the Morini border crossing on
foot, with most having walked for up for four days on the orders of Yugoslav authorities.
The 3,600 new arrivals are from the municipalities of
Srbica, Prizren, Istok and Djakovica. They are mainly women, children or elderly, and said
their menfolk had been arrested and taken away. Many in the group were suffering from
exhaustion and dehydration, and two mothers carried with them babies who died en route.
One woman said her child died five minutes before she reached Albania.
The refugees say they were first told to walk from their
homes to Prizren, where they were then bussed and trucked to near the border, arriving in
groups of around 100. Refugees from Istok told UNHCR they were detained in schools for
days before being forced to begin their trek.
UNHCR and NGOs distributed fruit, water and bread to the
arrivals. With Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières and Italian Civilian
Protection staff, UNHCR worked late into the night to transport the group by truck to a
tented camp erected by the Greek army in Kukes. At 1:30 a.m., when the last of the new
arrivals were waiting to be transferred from the border to Kukes town, shelling started
nearby, on the Yugoslav side of the border, causing panic among the refugees.
MACEDONIA (FYROM)
A total of 3,000 people arrived in Macedonia yesterday, 14
April. Two trains and three buses, originating in Urosevac, carried the bulk of the
refugees to points near the border where they were made to disembark and walk the rest of
the way.
The train and bus passengers said that no violence was
used against them and that they were able to take their luggage, money and documents.
Six private cars also reached Blace from Pristina and
Prizren. They reported leaving during a moment of "quiet" in these towns. All
the new arrivals were taken to Stankovec 1 camp (also called Brazda).
Another 1,000 refugees reached Macedonia Wednesday at the
Lojane border, 3 km west of Tabanovce, at the border with Serbia proper (not with Kosovo
province). UNHCR is negotiating with authorities to secure their admission from no
man’s land. This group say they came from the Vitina region.
On Thursday morning, 15 April, another 600-800 Kosovar
refugees were reported to be waiting at the Jazince border crossing. The group told UNHCR
staff that as many as 3,000 people were following them. UNHCR staff also reported that
more refugees were trudging across the border at Blace after having been dropped off by
train.
Refugee registration has been completed by UNHCR/IOM in
Macedonia at Stankovec 1 (Brazda), Radusa and Neprosteno. Those results are being collated
while the operation continues at Stankovec 2.
ASSISTANCE
In the past 24 hours, UNHCR and partners have distributed
50,000 blankets to eight locations hosting Kosovar refugees in Albania. The deliveries of
other emergency supplies continue, among these 2,360 tents and 150 rolls of plastic
sheeting to the main refugee-receiving sites and areas of the country. UNHCR now has 60
different commodities in stock in warehouses in Albania.
13 UNHCR-funded sites presently have a capacity to house
53,000 refugees in Albania, and by the end of the week another three camps will be readied
for an additional 2,000 refugees. WHO, UNICEF, NATO and UNHCR are meeting today in Tirana
to coordinate water and sanitation activities in camps and collective centers.
In Montenegro, UNHCR has delivered cooking stoves to the
transit center set up in Rozaje at the Kristal factory, and is today distributing
biscuits, fruit and other food to other shelters at Ulcinj. Rozaje will receive additional
supplies on Friday, 16 April. Between them, the two municipalities are hosting over 44,000
displaced, almost all of the recent arrivals from Kosovo.
Switzerland has announced that it will give US$7 million
to a ‘cash for shelter’ program designed to help families hosting Kosovar
refugees in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. This welcome initiative responds to
UNHCR’s appeal for support for the thousands of private citizens who have taken in
refugees.
HIGH COMMISSIONER OGATA IN BRUSSELS
The High Commissioner travelled to Brussels on Wednesday
14 April for discussions on the Kosovo crisis with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and
with NATO Secretary General Javier Solana.
In her discussions with NATO, the High Commissioner
stressed — and Secretary General Solana agreed — that the civilian character of
the humanitarian operation must be assured. She underlined that refugee protection remains
the fundamental responsibility of UNHCR, and that military assistance should concentrate
on key logistical areas. The deployment of NATO troops to Albania (the "AFOR")
will be based on this understanding.
In response to the emergency in Macedonia, NATO forces
have been actively involved in four refugee camps in Macedonia — Stankovec 1 and 2,
Neprosteno and Bojane — developing sites and dispensing medical care, food and water.
NATO and UNHCR have agreed that the management of these
camps will be shifted to civilian control starting Friday 16 April. The number of 450
soldiers who have been present in the four sites will be decreased to 20 -30, and UNHCR
and NGOs will take over the functions previously ensured by the military. UNHCR and NATO
are discussing what material and equipment can be left on the sites, as some of these
supplies are not currently available elsewhere in the country.
With the departure of the soldiers, who have provided the
refugees with a strong sense of security, UNHCR is working with the Macedonian police and
with the OSCE on establishing a camp security liaison group.
HUMANITARIAN EVACUATION
On Wednesday, 14 April, 1,316 refugees left Macedonia by
air under the Humanitarian Evacuation Program. 1,228 refugees went from Stankovec camp to
Germany on 8 flights, while 88 refugees from the camp went to Norway.
Another eight flights are planned for today, 15 April,
carrying a planned 1,300 Kosovar refugees to third countries.
|
Document compiled by Dr S D Stein