Kosovo Crisis Fact Sheet 45. OFDA, (06 May 1999)

Source: http://www.info.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda/kosofs45.html
Accessed 07 May 1999

Kosovo Crisis
Fact Sheet #45
May 6, 1999

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

Regional: Refugees/Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Kosovo

Country	Total Refugees	Entries in last 24 hrs	Departures in last 24 hrs
Albania	405,360	1,160	None
Macedonia	201,890	2,600	1,942
Montenegro	61,700	None	None

*All numbers are estimates from UNHCR Headquarters. These numbers are constantly changing and being verified.

Albania

UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 405,360 refugees in Albania. Approximately 1,160 refugees from Kosovo entered Albania at the Morini border crossing over the last 24 hours. The Government of Albania's (GOA) Emergency Management Group estimates that the GOA and UNHCR transported 5,040 refugees from Kukës town to other regions of Albania during the last 24 hours.
Local authorities in the northern region of Albania report that there are between 80,000-90,000 refugees living with host families in Kukës prefecture and an additional 30,000-40,000 refugees are staying in tented camps and collective centers.
The Qafi I Prushit border crossing point in Krumë remains closed on May 6 because shelling is occurring in the area.
The DART reports that approximately 30,000 refugees are refusing to move from Kukës to other areas of Albania because of their desire to reunite with other family members and their refusal to give up property which they brought from Kosovo.
UNHCR reports that military activity in the Has region north of Kukës in the last couple of weeks has displaced 4,000 Albanians from border villages. UNHCR and the World Food Program stated that they are ready to assist those displaced by the recent border fighting if they require assistance.
The sports palace in Tirana is being improved so that the facility can be used as a transit center for refugees arriving from Kukës. At the present time, the sports palace is sheltering 3,000 refugees but does not have proper water and sanitation services.
The World Health Organization (WHO), working with the Government of Albania and the Council of Europe, is defining a master plan for mental health. The plan will include crisis-counseling programs for refugees and strengthen ongoing services for both Albanian and refugee populations.

The GOA has asked WHO and other international health agencies to provide additional assistance to the 51 existing hospitals throughout Albania. Technical assistance and refurbishment of facilities are being requested for the main hospital in Tirana, the 22 district hospitals, and 28 regional hospitals.

Macedonia

UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are currently 201,890 refugees in Macedonia. 2,600 refugees entered Macedonia in the last 24 hours, prior to the border being closed by Macedonian authorities. Most of these crossings occurred at Blace and Jazince. 12 refugees also crossed at Tabanovce. On May 5, 1,160 refugees departed Macedonia for third countries.
As of 6 p.m. local time on May 5, the Government of Macedonia (GOM) closed its border with Kosovo. The GOM will now only allow in as many refugees as are departing through the humanitarian evacuation program (HEP). Since the border was closed, authorities have turned back some 1000 people at the border.
UNHCR's latest report indicates that there are 104,500 refugees (revised from yesterday's higher estimate) in camps in Macedonia, 93,370 refugees registered by Macedonian authorities for refugee status and staying in host families or private accommodations, and 4,020 are gathered in border communities (Straza, Vaksince, Kumanovo, and Lipkovo). The USAID/OFDA DART also reports that the Macedonian Red Cross has registered 108,000 refugees living with host families.
Recent incoming refugees have been transported to six different refugee camps (Cegrane, Stankovac I, Stankovac II, Bojane, Neprosteno, Radusa) as well as to the Blace reception center. The Blace reception center was expanded from its 2,200 person-capacity to be able to hold almost 7,000 refugees.
Many of the refugees at the border require immediate medical attention but are instead placed immediately onto buses where some travel for two hours before disembarking. According to several agencies, refugees now arriving at the border crossings are in far worse physical condition than previous arrivals. In addition to handicapped and critically ill patients, there are more refugees with conflict-related injuries at the Blace border crossing, according to Medecins du Monde/France (MDM/F). Upwards of 20 persons per day are arriving at the Blace border with conflict-related injuries. MDM/F was concerned about access to the wounded, many of whom were women and children, in the area between the Kosovo/Macedonian border.
A UNHCR public health specialist informed the NGO that screening at the border would become more important if refugees are moved from Macedonia to Albania. This bus ride could take as long as 10 hours.
An outbreak of infectious disease could threaten the Macedonian health care system and the UNHCR/IOM-sponsored HEP, according to an IRC public health/sanitation specialist. The ability of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to respond to an outbreak of infectious disease is limited. Countries accepting refugees under the HEP may be hesitant to transport refugees carrying infectious diseases. This may cause the HEP to be halted, at least for a time.
The first flight of 458 refugees arrived yesterday at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The next scheduled arrivals at Fort Dix are May 7, 10, and 12. Each of these flights will have 470 refugees aboard. Additionally, a flight with 470 refugees will arrive at JFK Airport, New York, on May 13.
The DART reports that the Macedonian Red Cross distributed rations to 1,500 refugees in Skopje yesterday and expects to finish "April" distribution by May 8. During May, Macedonian Red Cross distributions to refugees and the families hosting them will be carried out at the same time-- streamlining the distribution process.

CAMP NAME	NUMBER OF REFUGEES as of May 5 (0800 local time)
Stankovac I	27,500
1,338 refugees were evacuated under the HEP. The lack of space and overcrowding continues to be a problem. Due to a lack of space to erect tents, almost 85 percent of the new arrivals on May 3 slept out in the open. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) reported that its plans to start multiple field kitchens had to be revised because of the continuing influx of refugees into the site. CRS reported it would proceed with a new plan to set up approximately 22 field kitchens at seven different locations to serve 300 meals per kitchen per a day. One hot meal will be served first to children, the elderly, and the vulnerable each day.
Stankovac II	21,400
410 refugees were evacuated under the HEP. Space to erect more tents is almost non-existent at the camp, according to CARE. Although all refugees in the camp were accommodated in tents, CARE has had to modify its plans for schools, kitchens, and activity areas. The influx of 1,100 refugees on May 4 was accommodated by erecting tents on sites identified for future latrines. CARE noted that although all of the refugees were in tents, camp services such as water and sanitation are inadequate because of the lack of space.
Blace Reception Center	6,900
2,200 refugees were moved from Blace to other sites. It was reported that several hundred refugees were forced to spend the nights of May 3 and 4 under makeshift shelters made from blankets and plastic sheeting. The center, which was expanded to hold 7,000 refugees, was overwhelmed by the influx on May 3. Possibly as many as 1,000 refugees sought shelter underneath plastic sheeting and blankets strung in between existing tents.
Bojane	4,700
80 new arrivals on May 5.
Neprosteno	7,400
500 new arrivals on May 5.
Radusa	1,100
154 refugees evacuated under the HEP.
Radusa Collective Center	400
No new information.
Senokos	2,400
No new information.
Cegrane	32,700 (originally designed to hold 8,000)
2,000 new arrivals; 2,200 refugees transferred to Cegrane from other sites. Although there were enough tents for the first 8,000-10,000 arrivals by May 2, CARE and the German NATO contingent had fallen 48-hours behind in erecting tents. This gap has grown as the size of the camp has more than doubled since May 2. Several thousand people without tents are sitting on roadways and hillsides at the camp, according to CARE. CARE reported critical shortages of blankets and five-gallon water jugs during the morning of May 5. Latrine and water system construction have not been able to keep up with the inflow of new refugees. The German NATO contingent is expanding its outpatient health clinic to include a 10-15 bed in-patient facility. The German field clinic will be replaced in approximately seven to ten days when the Norwegian Red Cross is expected to set up its own in-patient field hospital. MSF/H also has an outpatient facility in the camp.
TOTAL	104,500

UNHCR Humanitarian Evacuations
(beginning April 6 to date)

Receiving Country	# of Refugees
Austria	1,455
Belgium	1,205
Canada	513
Croatia	100
Czech Republic	346
Denmark	324
Finland	481
France	2,354
Germany	9,974
Iceland	23
Israel	106
Netherlands	1,909
Norway	2,476
Poland	635
Romania	41
Slovakia	90
Slovenia	115
Spain	208
Sweden	918
Switzerland	186
Turkey	4,279
United Kingdom	330
United States	460
TOTAL**	28,528

** Some refugees were moved to third countries by the GOM w/o UNHCR/IOM involvement: 10,000 to Albania, 5,500 to Greece, 2,243 to Turkey, and 88 to Croatia.

Montenegro

UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 61,700 refugees in Montenegro.

USG Humanitarian Assistance:

Commodities

No new information.

Financial Support

To date the USG has provided over $188 million in response to the Kosovo crisis, beginning in March 1998.

USAID/BHR	$80,918,868
State/PRM	$59,779,500
DOD	$47,949,000
TOTAL	$188,647,368

The Background and Public Donation Information sections of this Factsheet are provided as a courtesy to the reader and have not changed substantially since the previous Factsheet. All new information is underlined/highlighted

Background:

In late February 1998, following an unprecedented series of clashes in Kosovo between Serbian police forces and members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Serbian police raided villages in Kosovo's Drenica region, a KLA stronghold. The police reportedly burned homes and killed dozens of ethnic Albanians in these raids. Thousands of ethnic Albanians in Pristina protested Serb police actions, and were subsequently attacked by the police with tear gas, water cannons, and clubs.
As a result of the fighting, thousands of Kosovar Albanians were displaced from their homes, many taking refuge with host families, while a smaller proportion (several thousand) took to the hills and forests.

Public Donation Information:

In the interest of effective coordination of such public response, we encourage concerned citizens to provide monetary donations to appropriate organizations. USAID encourages the public to contact directly those private voluntary organizations (PVOs) currently working in the region to provide monetary donations. A list of those PVOs may be obtained from the USAID website at www.info.usaid.gov. The list is composed of PVOs that are registered with USAID and/or listed by InterAction, a coalition of voluntary humanitarian and development organizations that work overseas; InterAction can be contacted at 1-818-502-4288, or via the Internet at www.interaction.org. Those interested in providing specific technical relief services or commodities should contact Volunteers in Technical Assistance's (VITA) Disaster Information Center for information and guidelines (703) 276-1914.
For more information, please contact the public donations hotline at 1-800-USAID-RELIEF, which is staffed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. FEMA reports that 775 calls were received by the public donation hotline on May 4. A total of 45,645 calls have been received since April 6.
Past USAID/OFDA Factsheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at the following URL: http://www.info.usaid.gov/ofda/situation.html.