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

Albania

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 431,100 refugees in Albania. On May 12, approximately 4,000 refugees crossed into Albania from Kosovo at the Morini border crossing, and about 100 entered Albania from Montenegro on May 11.
• UNHCR reports that many of the newly arrived refugees were from villages in the Urosevac region and had been in the hills and mountains for several weeks.
• The Government of Albania (GOA), Emergency Management Group (EMG) reports that 5,475 refugees have been transferred from the Kukės area over the last 24 hours. The cumulative number of refugees transferred out of Kukės now totals 348,000.
• The Government of Albania (GOA) and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) report Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) incursions into Albania near the villages of Padesh and Kamenice in Tropojė District on May 11. However, the press reports that the fighting has waned since its peak on Tuesday, May 11.
• The Greek-Albanian border crossing point at Kakavija has been closed since May 10 due to insecurity. Armed bandits have established roadblocks at a junction in Lazarat, Cjirokastra Prefecture. Ten trucks carrying relief supplies were unable to enter Albania from Greece.
• Security at the Morini border crossing has improved with the posting of GOA Special Police to the area.
• The GOA Prefects continue to report difficulties in refugee camp site identification, and recommend that existing buildings be rehabilitated to house refugees. The GOA says that refurbished structures can be a residual benefit to the nation after the refugee crisis.
• The World Food Program (WFP) reports it has the food resources to meet the basic needs of all refugees in refugee camps and collective centers, as well as those who are newly arrived or in transit.
• The Red Cross in Albania reports signs of "host family fatigue", and indicates that refugees are attempting to pay for entry to camps. In this week's non-governmental organization (NGO) and UNHCR information meeting, the Red Cross reported that 113,000 refugees in host families had received food assistance since mid-April. There are currently estimated to be more than 290,000 refugees in host families.

Macedonia

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are currently 234,000 refugees in Macedonia, 71 of whom entered over the last 24 hours from Kosovo. 2,484 refugees were transferred by air to third countries on May 12. UNHCR reports that 84,100 refugees are living in camps and transit centers and 120,432 refugees are living with host families (registered by the Macedonian Red Cross). UNHCR estimates that 30,000 unregistered refugees are living elsewhere in Macedonia (this number includes an estimated 4,900 refugees living in border communities).
• On May 10, the first 166 refugees were voluntarily transported under UNHCR's Humanitarian Transfer Program (HTP). The HTP will provide transportation for refugees in Macedonia who wish to relocate to camps in Albania.
• On May 11, a train from Kosovo carrying 20 refugees arrived at the border around 10:00 am, but Yugoslav authorities only allowed seven refugees with Yugoslav travel documents to cross into Macedonia. The others were turned back by the Yugoslav authorities, according to UNHCR and OSCE.
• The Government of Macedonia (GOM) has begun expanding the Blace Reception Center. In response, a group of NGOs has submitted a letter of protest to UNHCR. The NGOs claim that the site is not appropriate for a refugee camp, both because of its proximity to the Serbian border but also because it is located in a potential landslide area. NGOs working at the center have stated their intention to disassociate themselves from work in the area. UNHCR has not yet responded to the letter, but has told the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) that they were not consulted before construction began.
• The DART expressed concern that official registration figures in the municipality of Kumanovo are not accurate. Official Macedonian Red Cross figures show 6,556 humanitarian assisted persons living in the municipality. However, a local humanitarian organization reported that they have registered more than 20,000 people for assistance, and they estimate approximately 25,000 refugees live in Kumanovo. According to the DART, the discrepancy exists because until now the GOM has denied official humanitarian assistance status to refugees from Serbia outside Kosovo. The GOM has now begun the process of recognizing these refugees.
• At the Neprosteno Camp, International Rescue Committee (IRC) has identified two hectares of land that could allow the camp to be expanded to accommodate another 2,000 refugees in addition the current 7,500. Approval for the expansion remains dependent on agreement between IRC, the GOM, and UNHCR.
• WFP reports that it is currently producing 40,000 loaves of bread a day for the refugee camps.
• The Red Cross reports using a planning figure for May distributions to refugees in host families of 143,300. These refugees will receive a standard ration of 12 kg wheat flour, 1 kg beans, 1 liter of vegetable oil, and 1 kg sugar.
• The fourth "Provide Refuge" flight with 481 refugees arrived at McGuire Air Force Base on May 12. The fifth flight is scheduled to arrive with another 450 refugees on May 13. Personnel at Fort Dix continue to conduct in-processing activities. Fort Dix will expand its capacity to process refugees from 3,000 to 4,200 by May 21.

** 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. (Source: UNHCR/Geneva)

Montenegro

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 64,300 refugees in Montenegro. Approximately 100 refugees departed for Albania on May 11.

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	$83,167,327
  State/PRM	$59,779,500
  DOD	$45,281,000
  TOTAL	$188,227,827

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 http://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 http://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. On May 12, 185 calls were made to the public donation hotline. Since April 6, a total of 47,905 calls have been received by the hotline.
• Past USAID/OFDA Factsheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at the following URL: http://www.info.usaid.gov/ofda/situation.html.