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

Albania

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 443,100 refugees in Albania. On June 1, 20 refugees entered Albania from Montenegro and on June 2, 450 refugees entered Albania from Kosovo.
• Throughout Albania, the Government of Albania/Emergency Management Group (GOA/EMG) estimates that 80,345 refugees are in tent camps, 97,138 in collective centers, and 287,284 living with host families and in other accommodations.
• In Kukes Prefecture, the GOA/EMG estimates that there are 31,131 refugees in tent camps, and 2,384 in collective centers. On June 2, 1,143 refugees moved from Kukes Prefecture to other areas of Albania.
• The GOA/EMG reports that most collective centers in Kukes are not well equipped with water and sanitation facilities; therefore, they cannot be viewed as long-term shelter solutions. The EMG estimates that only 5,000 refugees will be able to remain in collective centers due to this situation.
• UNHCR reports that there are approximately 7,000 Albanians who are internally displaced within Kukes Prefecture due to cross-border shelling. Approximately 4,000 are in Tropoja district and approximately 3,000 are in Has district. DART reports that FRY shelling continues near Kruma, Morini, Bardoc, Pogaj, Dobrune, Cahane and Vlahane.
• On June 1, NATO accidentally dropped five bombs in Albania near the Morini border crossing. One policeman, one soldier, and two refugees were slightly injured.
• As of 5:00 p.m. CET on June 2, Camp Hope had a registered population of 3,060. A busload of 120 additional refugees was expected to arrive at Camp Hope in the evening of June 2 as part of UNHCR's organized relocation plan supported by NATO.
• CARE is preparing a four-month security plan for Camp Hope that will meet security needs until UNHCR is able to provide trained security personnel.
• The World Food Program (WFP) reports that the Turkish bakery in Fier will go into production today. The bakery will initially produce 3,000 loaves a day to supply Camp Hope, but it has a production capacity of 20,000 loaves per day.
• USAID/DART reports that the OSCE's Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) is working on a plan to resume activities inside Kosovo. The KVM is also meeting with several NGOs that are interested in resuming activities in Kosovo.
• USAID/DART reports that Catholic Relief Services (CRS), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and UNHCR are preparing a "Refugee Bill of Rights" that will explain to refugees what they are entitled, and where they can obtain assistance. The document is due to be completed by the end of this week, and will be widely distributed to the refugee population.
• USAID/DART reports that the new WFP-Red Cross agreement was signed this morning. All parties are satisfied with the agreement that will go into effect immediately. As part of the agreement, regular meetings will be held weekly to ensure coordination between all parties.

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 248,400 refugees in Macedonia. Approximately 528 refugees entered Macedonia in the last 24 hours. On June 1, there were 1,217 refugees transferred by air to third countries.
• UNHCR Skopje reports that 109,800 refugees are living in camps and transit centers, and the Macedonian Red Cross estimates 138,600 refugees are registered as living with host families. The Government of Macedonia (GOM) estimates that more than 30,000 refugees are unregistered and living elsewhere in Macedonia.
• The overall security situation in the camps remain generally calm however camp managers, particularly those in the larger sites, believe that current systems are inadequate to deal with potential flare ups and continue to advocate for the establishment of a camp-based international police presence.
• According to UNHCR, the Macedonian Ministry of Interior has agreed to a UNHCR proposal to establish an international police presence in the camps. An international detachment would be responsible for training Macedonia police. Now that the proposal has been approved, it will likely take the Finnish and Swedish police at least one-month to begin operations.
• Under the UNHCR plan, particular attention will be paid to systems that control entrance and exit ways, a current problem area in many of the camps. Security liaison officers will maintain a 24-hour presence in each camp, with officers assigned to the camps on a proportional basis. UNHCR anticipates that the force will include both male and female officers.
• All of the camp managers report the activities of the Macedonian police have generally been acceptable with the exception of a few individuals. The control of the exit and entrance ways into the camps remains a primary concern for the camp managers.
• Refugees continue to move from host families and private accommodations into the camps. In Cegrane, CARE International estimated the number of refugees from host families seeking to establish residence in the camp ranges from several dozen to 300 per day. As Humanitarian Evacuation Program (HEP) processing is expanded in Cegrane and the impending UNHCR re-registration exercise approaches, CARE anticipates that such walk-ins may increase significantly.
• Although most of the refugee camps have fire extinguishers the potential for fire remains a serious concern. IRC in Neprosteno, Mercy Corps International ( MCI) in Senokos and CARE in Cegrane have formed or are starting to form volunteer fire brigades among the refugees. In addition, the French Civil Defense force continues to work as a fire brigade in Stankovac II but in reduced numbers.
• Action Against Hunger (AAH) has sought UNHCR's assistance in gaining permission to set up lighting in the Blace reception center. AAH said that the police are against the lighting because of concerns that lighting would make Blace a target of nearby Serb forces. AAH has taken the position that the Serbs already know the position of the camp and lighting would help internal security and safety at Blace.
• IFRC reports that the Macedonian Red Cross has registered 145,307 refugees in 25,179 host families. Food distributions for the month of May have not yet been completed in Skopje, Tetevo, and Kumanovo.
• U.S. Department of Defense reported 78 refugees departed from Fort Dix on 2 June 1999 for host families. An additional 127 refugees are scheduled to depart today.

Date: June 2, 1999 8:00 am GMT

Montenegro

• IFRC reports that the resumption of bus services between Mitrovica in Kosovo, and Podgorica, Montenegro last week has resulted in an increased number of IDP arrivals (1,500 IDPs during the week). Most of the IDPs are reported to be continuing on to Ulcinj, putting further strain on the shelter and sanitation capacities of the collective centers there.

(Source: UNHCR/Geneva)

Region

• IRC began airdrops of Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs) in Kosovo on June 3. One sortie was flown, however, due to difficulties with the dispatch method, less than 100 HDRs were released over the drop site. The crew is adjusting the dispatch method, and intends to fly two sorties tomorrow.

Commodities

• Ten thousand MTs of USDA 416(b) wheat flour and 1,026 MTs of Title II rice, vegetable oil, corn-soy blend, and pinto beans will arrive in Thessaloniki over the next 2-3 days. These commodities, plus an additional 4,200 MT Title II commodities that will arrive in Sofia during the month, are being pre-positioned in the region to permit a rapid USG response to shifts in the refugee population, possible breaks in the food pipelines of WFP and other partners, and the eventual opening of Kosovo

Financial Support

• To date the USG has provided over $210 million in response to the Kosovo crisis since March 1998.

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). On June 2, 61 calls were made to the public donation hotline. Since April 6, a total of 49,293 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.