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

Kosovo

• The first UNHCR-organized humanitarian aid convoy traveled from Skopje, Macedonia to Pristina, Kosovo on June 13. The convoy encountered roadblocks manned by Russian troops. UNHCR occupied the warehouse it had used prior to the NATO air campaign.
• The U.S. Department of State (DOS) reported that relief workers discovered 20,000 ethnic Albanian IDPs at Glogovac, a mountainous area 20 km west of Pristina.
• The World Food Program (WFP) and the press report that distribution of 16 tons of flour, 1.5 MTs of vegetable oil, and other food and non-food assistance were made to the IDPs near Glogovac. Aid workers reportedly found the population in poor condition. Children appeared to be particularly malnourished and ill.
• UNHCR reported that on June 13 a 23-truck convoy loaded with 250 tons of relief aid, including both food and non-food items, arrived in Pristina. A second relief convoy left Skopje, Macedonia on June 14 for Pristina.

Albania

• UNHCR headquarters estimates there are 444,600 refugees in Albania. A few refugees returned to Kosovo were reported, but precise figures are not yet available.
• Throughout Albania, the Government of Albania (GOA), Emergency Management Group (EMG) reports that there are 86,930 refugees in tent camps, 95,542 in collective centers, 283,057 in host families and other accommodations.
• According to the EMG, 32,350 refugees in Kukes Prefecture are in tent camps and 2,384 are in collective centers.
• On June 14, as of 5:00 p.m. CET, 230 refugees had returned to Kosovo via the Morini border crossing area. The refugees are returning to areas near the border and can easily return to Albania if conditions in Kosovo do not permit them to stay.
• The repatriation plan of Kosovar refugees in Albania proposed by the Joint Logistics cell of the EMG (Ministry of Transport, NATO, UNHCR, and WFP) will be presented to KFOR representatives in Skopje today. The basic elements of the plan, which is to go into effect July 10, are: smaller camps will empty into larger ones; camp facilities will be relocated to Kosovo; transit camps will be established in Mjeda and Kukes; refugees will be grouped by the proximity of their homes to one of seven designated transit points in Kosovo; and, a target of 3,000 refugees per day will be bused from Kukes into Kosovo.
• The EMG has outlined five priorities for the emergency refugee situation: 1) organized return planning; 2) emergency planning for spontaneous relocation into Kukes from other parts of Albania; 3) mass information campaigns; 4) sustaining ongoing aid and relief programs in Albania, and 5) developing logistical plans and transport mechanisms for the return of refugees in Albania.
• WFP reports that 3-day ration packages for transit within Albania, and 5-day ration packages for the return to Kosovo are being assessed.
• WFP has increased its warehouse capacity in Kukes by 1,200 MTs and will begin sending additional buffer stocks to the north.
• The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reports that the Camp Hope refugee population is currently 3,483 with an operational capacity of 13,824. CARE will assume the management of Camp Hope on June 30.
• DOD has authorized suspension of building Camps Eagle and Liberty.
• According to the EMG, 523 refugees returned to Kukes Prefecture from southern and central Albania in the last 24 hours. To date, a total of 1,938 refugees have returned to Kukes Prefecture.

Macedonia

• UNHCR headquarters estimated there are 242,300 refugees in Macedonia. No refugees have entered Macedonia in the last 24 hours or crossed back into Kosovo.
• UNHCR headquarters reported that on June 14, 953 refugees were transferred by air to third countries through the UNHCR/International Organization for Migration (IOM) Humanitarian Evacuation Program.
• On June 15, UNHCR in Skopje reported that 103,700 refugees are living in camps and transit centers, and the Macedonian Red Cross estimates 138,600 refugees are living with host families and elsewhere.
• A UNHCR information campaign began on June 12 targeting refugees in camps and host families. Leaflets described what refugees could expect upon their return to Kosovo but also urged refugees to remain in Macedonia until the situation was considered safe. Further, the leaflet outlined UNHCR's operational plan for Kosovo and explained its role in assisting refugees as they return to their homes.
• In an effort to re-register all refugees in camps and host families, UNHCR completed re-registration at both Neprosteno and Radusa camps on June 14. On June 15, UNHCR will begin re-registration of refugees at Stankovac I and II.
• DOD reports that 178 refugees departed Fort Dix on June 14, and 145 refugees are scheduled to depart June 15, to reside with their host families. The total refugee population at Fort Dix is 2,580.

Date: June 15, 1999 8:00 am GMT

Source: UNHCR Skopje.  

** Some refugees were moved to third countries by the GOM w/o UNHCR involvement: 10,000 to Albania, 5,500 to Greece, 1,980 to Turkey, and 88 to Croatia. (Source: UNHCR/Geneva)

Montenegro

• UNHCR reports that the Government of Montenegro estimated 8,900 Serbian civilians had entered Montenegro on June 14. To date, a total of 13,300 Serbian civilians have crossed the border into Montenegro since June 10.
• WFP reports that Montenegro continues to host approximately 70,000 ethnic Albanian IDPs from Kosovo.

Pescara, Italy—Airdrops

• USAID Pescara Logistics Cell (PLC) reports that two planes completed airdrops of humanitarian commodities over Kosovo on June 15. The two planes dropped a combined total of 6,150 humanitarian daily rations (HDRs). No security incidents were reported. To date 41,652 HDRs and 10,000 high-protein biscuits have been delivered.
• A new drop zone was identified and the PLC was able to coordinate the June 15 airdrops to the new zone.
• NATO has approved additional air slots and drop zones for the airdrops, which may allow for twice as many airdrops per day.

Commodities

• No new information.

Financial Support

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

USAID/BHR	$101,936,372
State/PRM	$69,779,500
DOD	$45,281,000
TOTAL	$216,996,872

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 14, 55 calls were made to the public donation hotline. Since April 6, a total of 49,707 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.