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

Albania

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 427,000 refugees in Albania. On May 11, a total of 300 refugees crossed the Morini border from Kosovo and 139 entered Albania from Macedonia.
• The Government of Albania's (GOA) Emergency Management Group (EMG) estimates that 100,667 refugees remain in the northern districts of Albania. The EMG reports that 9,407 refugees have been transferred from the Kukės area over the last 48 hours.
• UNHCR reports that there are approximately 290,000 refugees with 46,000 host families. In contrast, about 120,000 refugees reside in camps and collective centers.
• UNHCR announced that it will not rehabilitate structures belonging to host families, but may support winterization efforts.
• UNICEF is concerned about the potential for severe diarrhea in the refugee camps during the summer months. UNICEF also estimates that chronic diarrhea could affect the local Albanian population as a result of poor water and sanitation conditions.
• The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) reports continued shelling by Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) forces in Has District at Qafi I Prushit and Letaj on May 10, and the EMG reported fire fights between FRY forces and Albanian border police in Tropojė District on May 12.
• The GOA will recruit 1,100 police officers to provide security in the refugee camps.
• The United Arab Emirates completed upgrading of the airfield at Kukės on May 8. The airfield can now receive 150 tons of cargo per day, and can accommodate a C-130 aircraft.
• UNHCR and the GOA have announced an $8 million program to provide direct assistance to host families.
• The World Food Program (WFP) reports that its EDPs (extended distribution points) are fully stocked with food. With stocks in place, WFP sub-offices will be responsible for requesting replenishment as needed.
• The Department of Defense (DOD) reports that at Camp Hope 216 tents have been erected, which will house 2,500 refugees. On May 25 Camp Hope construction will be complete, and is expected to meet its planned shelter capacity of 20,000. During the period May 13-19, approximately 400 refugees will be processed per day. Camp management responsibilities will be transferred to CARE today.

Macedonia

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are currently 231,200 refugees in Macedonia, 187 of whom entered over the last 24 hours from Kosovo. 2,054 refugees were transferred by air to third countries on May 11. UNHCR reports that 86,200 refugees are living in camps and transit centers and 114,971 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).
• With the departure of approximately 6,000 refugees during the last week, the rising tensions in the Stankovac I camp have subsided substantially. The sanitation situation has also improved and toilets are being cleaned. In addition, waiting times in line for food distributions has decreased to half an hour or at most an hour. This is significant considering three weeks ago camp refugees were waiting between four and five hours to receive a food distribution.
• The slowdown in the numbers of refugees crossing into Macedonia has permitted humanitarian agencies in Macedonia to develop additional camp space and prepare for another influx of refugees. UNHCR is negotiating with the Government of Macedonia for another 20,000-30,000 person camp site but no progress has been reported. If a new site is developed, several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have reported to the DART that they have the capacity to assume responsibility for camp management and/or sectoral functions.
• UNHCR reports that it is putting together a plan to support the Government of Macedonia's policing activities in the refugee camps. Although the overall situation in the camps has remained stable, the risk of a deterioration of security conditions remains. The plan involves the use of international security officers, seconded from one or more governments, to assist the Macedonian authorities who are increasingly burdened by the large numbers of refugees they have to secure.
• The World Food Program (WFP) and UNHCR are exploring options for pre-positioning food and non-food emergency commodities at unofficial border crossings. Contingency planning is ongoing for the possible influx of up to an additional 150,000 refugees from Kosovo.
• The fourth "Provide Refugee" flight with 484 refugees is scheduled to arrive at McGuire Air Force Base on May 12. Upon arrival, the refugees will be transported to Ft. Dix, New Jersey, where they will remain for up to three weeks for medical screening, INS interviews, and sponsorship determination.

** 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 64,400 refugees in Montenegro. Approximately 470 refugees arrived in the country 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 11, 209 calls were made to the public donation hotline. Since April 6, a total of 47,720 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.