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

Kosovo

• UNHCR is encouraging Kosovar Albanian refugees in asylum countries to delay their return due to the continued presence of Serb forces and the dangers posed by landmines. UNHCR is currently focusing on assisting IDPs within Kosovo while working to provide accommodations for returnees and keeping them warm in the coming winter.
• On June 17, UNHCR conducted an aerial survey in western Kosovo and reported widespread destruction, with up to 40-50 percent of the houses reduced to rubble. Pec and Djakovica, previously home to around 130,000 people, are reportedly deserted.
• UNHCR and WHO report a need for more medical staff in Kosovo. UNHCR is urging asylum countries to identify Kosovo professionals to assist in the rebuilding of the region.
• The International Rescue Committee (IRC) plans to continue humanitarian airdrops indefinitely, increasing the number of flights and possibly the number of planes. World Food Program (WFP) continues to stress the need for airdrops to bring critical items to IDPs.
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has thus far distributed 37,160 USAID/OFDA-funded meals ready to eat in Prizren, their area of responsibility. Each pack can feed up to three returnees for one day. CRS assessed its warehouse in Prizren and found food commodities undisturbed. However, CRS is not planning to distribute these commodities due to fears of contamination and possible tampering.
• On June 17, Mercy Corps International (MCI) traveled by road from Pristina-Prizren-Pec and discovered that most of the MCI warehouse equipment in Pristina had been ransacked. However, the structure and most of the food commodities were untouched. WFP reported their warehouse in Pristina has been undisturbed since international staff evacuated on March 24. However, most of the food in the Doctors of the World/US (DOW/US) warehouse in Pristina was stolen and some NGO warehouses in Lebane, located 7 km north of Pristina, were leveled during the conflict.
• International Medical Corp (IMC) reported continued insecurity in Gjilane with small arms fire heard during the night. Accordingly, IMC has observed increased new gunshot casualty cases in its health mobile clinics.
• CRS distributed relief items in Djakovica on June 17 and observed several empty villages. About 50 percent of houses in the area were destroyed.
• Also on June 17, a UNHCR team traveled from Skopje to Urosevac and reported war damage to be about 10 percent. The damage is mainly to government buildings. The team observed a large number of people in the area and saw 700-800 Serbian civilians driving cars out of Urosevac, apparently heading for Serbia in an orderly fashion.

Albania

• UNHCR headquarters estimates there are 407,600 refugees in Albania. UNHCR reported that 3,000 people left Albania for Kosovo on June 16 in addition to the previously reported figure that date of 15,000. On June 17, there were 14,000 returnees to Kosovo. In total, approximately 37,000 have returned to Kosovo to date.
• In the last 24 hours, 4,862 refugees moved back into Kukes from elsewhere in Albania, according to the Ministry of Local Government.
• On June 18, UNHCR and the Government of Albania (GOA) presented the repatriation plan for refugees returning to Kosovo. It is being implemented with support from NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
• Refugees are continuing to leave Kukes for Kosovo. According to OSCE, visual surveys indicate that approximately 40 percent of refugees have already left the camps in Kukes for Kosovo, but there are no firm figures for those who left from rented accommodations, collective centers, and host families.
• OSCE reports that large numbers of vehicles containing refugees have been observed traveling on the road from Tirana to Kukes.
• Reports indicate that there are still large numbers of heads of households going into Kosovo just for the day to observe the situation firsthand. NATO reports that 5,000 individuals returned from Kosovo back into Kukes yesterday.
• The DART reports improvement in traffic on roads in Albania leading towards Kosovo. Local prefecture authorities and NATO have implemented a one-way system to facilitate traffic. From 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., traffic is one-way to Kosovo, and then traffic is one-way in the other direction.
• The United Arab Emirates-run hospital in Kukes is being expanded. The hospital will service refugees in transit in Kukes as well as returnees who go back to Kosovo and who cannot find needed medical service there.
• WFP is discussing contingency plans for a possible influx of 200,000 refugees in Shkodra from Montenegro. There is a concern that large numbers of people may leave Montenegro in order to avoid retreating Serb forces.
• UNHCR plans to use the Morini border crossing as the main route for returning refugees.
• The GOA, UNHCR and NATO estimate that 75 percent of refugees will return to Kosovo by autumn. The return plan provides for two return points: in Kukes, for refugees returning on their own, and Mjeda, for refugees who are part of UNHCR's organized return plan. UNHCR plans to use ground transport to move refugees into Kosovo from gathering points established throughout country. This effort is to begin first week of July, contingent upon security and ability of relief organizations in Kosovo to handle the influx. The return plan calls for an estimated 50 buses to take 3,000 refugees home per day initially.
• UNHCR reported that on June 17 it began distributing food, jerry cans, blankets, and plastic sheeting to returning refugees.
• DOD reports that Camp Hope's population is 3,481 with an operating capacity of 18,114. Camp construction is now completed.

Macedonia

• UNHCR headquarters estimated there are 226,700 refugees in Macedonia. No refugees have entered Macedonia in the last 24 hours. An estimated 7,000 refugees returned to Kosovo on June 17. To date, 13,500 refugees have returned to Kosovo from Macedonia.
• On June 17, UNHCR reported there are an estimated 101,100 in camps and transit centers, while the Macedonian Red Cross reports 150,432 refugees are living with host families and elsewhere.
• On June 17, 694 refugees departed Macedonia by air. DOD reports the total number of refugees flown to the US (Fort Dix, New Jersey, and JFK Airport, New York) totals 7,777. 153 refugees departed Fort Dix on June 17 to reside with host families and 193 are scheduled to depart on June 18. The current refugee population at Fort Dix is now 2,123.
• DART reports UNHCR has begun distributing leaflets warning refugees to delay returning to Kosovo due to dangers posed by remaining Serb troops and land mines. UNHCR is distributing these leaflets in camps twice a week. The information campaign warns refugees to avoid secondary roads and rural areas if they do return and also states that UNHCR will begin returning refugees to their areas of origin in the near future.
• DART reports UNHCR and the Government of Macedonia have finalized a refugee repatriation plan. The plan is expected to be in place on August 1.

Refugee Camp and Collective Center Information: Macedonia
Date: June 18, 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 headquarters report a total of 800 new arrivals from Kosovo, mainly Serbs, on June 17. The total number of refugees in Montenegro since June 9 now totals 18,800.
• UNHCR also reports that around 1,000 Serbs who arrived in Montenegro earlier in the week are now seeking to go back.

Pescara, Italy—Airdrops

• USAID Pescara Logistics Cell (PLC) reports that two planes completed four airdrops of humanitarian commodities over Kosovo on June 17. The two planes dropped a combined total of 12,300 humanitarian daily rations or HDRs. No security incidents were reported. To date, 62,982 HDRs and 10,000 high-protein biscuits have been delivered.

• 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

Public Donation Information

• On June 17, 36 calls were made to the public donation hotline. Since April 6, a total of 49,824 calls have been received by the hotline.