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

Source: UNHCR Geneva. 

Albania 

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 443,300 refugees in Albania. On June 3, 165 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.
• Police have set up a roadblock 3km from the Morini border crossing to prevent international aid workers and journalists from traveling too close to the border. UNHCR transport trucks are allowed to pass the roadblock to transport refugees further south.
• As of 2:00 p.m. CET on 4, Camp Hope had a registered population of 3,379. Construction continues on Camp Hope. USAID/DART reports that 85 percent of the tents are up, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reports that current capacity is now 17,880. However, DART reports that construction at Camp Eagle has been put on hold due to the rapid progress in the peace process.
• Several potential sites for additional U.S. Government (USG) refugee camps in Albania have been identified in Berat Prefecture. These sites would fulfill the USG’s commitment to house 60,000 refugees.
• The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is departing Camp Hope and Camp Eagle today. A U.S. Army Special Forces unit is replacing the MEU to provide security.
• USAID/DART reports that relief workers are no longer working in Krume, as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) forces continue to fire on Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) positions in the area. UNHCR is sending trucks to Has District to evacuate refugees that want to leave.
• With NATO funding, Mine Clear has been working in Albania to assist the GOA in clearing unexploded ordinance in the border area. Mine Clear’s project is well-established, very successful and has the support of the Albanian Military. In addition, UNICEF is posting notices identifying what the ordinances are and how to contact the proper authorities to have them defused or detonated.
• Action Against Hunger reports that a meeting is being organized today among the NGOs working in Fier and those involved in supplying food to refugees in Camp Hope. One of the issues to be discussed is the planned distribution on the part of a number of NGOs of DSM (dry skimmed milk) to camp refugees. This is a supplemental commodity not commonly distributed on its own due to a number of health concerns ranging from its contamination from unclean water to its possible negative impact on breast feeding practices and infant health.
• On June 2, USAID/DART met with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and CARE to discuss implementation of the host family incentive program. The meeting provided an opportunity for both NGOs to express their ideas, concerns and suggestions regarding the pilot phase of the one-time incentive bonus to host families. The NGOs will hold focus group sessions with host families to identify appropriate non-food commodities to be part of the bonus package. DART will meet again with the NGOs next week to discuss the results of these sessions.

Macedonia 

• UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 247,800 refugees in Macedonia. Approximately 370 refugees entered Macedonia in the last 24 hours. On June 3, there were 858 refugees transferred by air to third countries. 
• UNHCR Skopje reports that 109,200 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.
• Construction on the new refugee camp at Vrapciste is scheduled to begin on June 4. The camp will cover 24 hectares and will hold 12,000 refugees when completed, with a maximum crisis capacity of 15,000, according to the UNHCR site planner. After one week of construction, the camp will be ready to hold 450 to 500 refugees, and after two weeks it will, be able to hold 5,000 refugees. UNHCR expects the camp to be complete within eight weeks.
• The development of phase II of Senokos is continuing and Mercy Corps International (MCI) expects it to be ready to accommodate 1,500 refugees by June 5 or 6. Most of the tents have been set up and temporary latrines are in place. The GOM contractor Pelegonija is still working on permanent latrines, community kitchens, and an infant feeding area. 
• WFP reports that it will host the United Nations Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for 1999 planning meeting today, 4 June, in Skopje.
• Staff from WFP/Macedonia and WFP/Albania will meet over the weekend in Skopje to discuss a coordinated, regional plan for the return to Kosovo.
• The UNHCR field officer present at the Tabanovce border on June 2 reported that border crossings appear to follow a regular schedule with three approximate arrival times for refugees throughout the day. He said that refugees arrive generally around 1000 hours, between 1200 and 1300 hours, and then again after 1700 hours.
• A local Macedonian NGO supported by USAID/OTI called the Association for Democratic Initiatives (ADI) has created a comprehensive database of more than 135,000 non-camp refugees that enables them to work closely with the ICRC and International Organization for Migration IOM on family reunification.
• In addition to the database, ADI maintains an internet site (address: www.refugjat.org) for family reunification, operates a refugee information telephone hotline, and works with International Rescue Committee (IRC) on a refugee resource center with a post office and telephone in the Cegrane camp.
• DOD reported that 111 refugees departed Fort Dix, New Jersey on 3 June with an additional 157 refugees scheduled to depart today. Currently 3,401 refugees are in Fort Dix and overall the U.S. has received 6,008 refugees (including arrivals at Fort Dix and JFK.

Refugee Camp and Collective Center Information: Macedonia

Date: June 4, 1999 8:00 am GMT

Source: UNHCR Skopje 

Montenegro 

• No new information .

(Source: UNHCR/Geneva) 

Region 

• The IRC humanitarian airdrops of Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDR) in Kosovo continued successfully on June 4, as prior difficulties with the dispatch method were remedied. One sortie was flown, and a total of 1,600 HDRs were released over the drop site. The aircraft returned safely to its base in Italy at approximately 7:30am CET. 
• 
  WFP reports that since its re-entry into Kosovo, ICRC has brought 3 convoys of food to Pristina from Belgrade. WFP food has been used in three FOCUS convoys into Kosovo from Skopje. To date, the effectiveness and impartiality in targeting of food assistance to IDPs has not been assured.

Commodities 

• USAID/FFP received confirmation yesterday of the arrival of 10,000 MTs of USDA wheat flour in Thessaloniki. The wheat is part of a total 14-15,000 MTs of commodities that the USG is positioning in the region as contingency stocks.

Financial Support 

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

USAID/BHR	$95,628,821
State/PRM	$69,779,500
DOD	$45,281,000
TOTAL	$210,689,321

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.

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