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

Kosovo

• UNHCR reports that 10,200 Kosovars returned to Kosovo on July 7 from neighboring countries, bringing overall returns from countries in the region to 628,800 since 15 June.
• Over the past two days, over 1,300 Kosovars have returned from abroad, with refugees travelling from Italy, Canada, and Austria, and a first group due to fly back from Germany Thursday.
• UNHCR will hold a meeting in Geneva on 12 July with representatives of countries which have received Kosovar refugees and with IOM to discuss the co-ordination of voluntary repatriation movements.
• UNHCR reports that despite a generally improved security climate in Kosovo, members of minority groups continue to feel threatened by returning Kosovars and ethnic tension is reported to be high in several areas.
• UNHCR reports that it continues, together with KFOR, to make every effort to enable minority groups to stay in their homes in Kosovo. But in the wake of the increasing number of incidents against minority groups, particularly Serbs and Roma, UNHCR is faced more and more frequently with the difficult question of when and whether to help in the evacuation of such persons.
• UNHCR staff reported a number of security incidents on July 7. In Urosevac south of Pristina, around 5,000 Kosovars mounted a protest in the city streets against the presence of the Russian contingent of KFOR. In Kosovska Mitrovica in northern Kosovo, a stone-throwing incident was reported between 150 Serbs and 80 ethnic Albanians on the bridge separating the the two communities in what is now a divided town. In Pristina, two Serbs were reported to have been kidnapped by ethnic Albanians, and in the western town of Pec, UNHCR field officers found the burned corpses of four Serbs two days after they had reportedly been murdered in their homes.
• USAID/OFDA reported that several thousand Roma have gathered in a school in Kosovo Polje, coming from as far away as Pec, Prizren, Djakovica and Mitrovica. They are living in the school compound and are protected by KFOR 24-hour security. Children's Aid is supplying the Roma with a daily ration of food. In addition, OXFAM has provided a water tank and Medecins Du Munde-France has set up a medical tent.
• UNHCR announced that it was seeking assistance of KFOR and NGO's in developing a new camp for the Roma. UNHCR also stated that the Roma need full time international presence and in order to lessen local tension the same humanitarian assistance should be given to ethnic Serbs and Albanians living in Kosovo Polje.

Albania

• UNHCR reports that a total of 6,778 refugees to Kosovo from Albania on July 7. These included 729 Kosovars who joined convoys organized by UNHCR, its implementing partners and AFOR. Those joining the convoys come from camps in central and southern Albania and proceed by train and AFOR aircraft to Kukes, where they are taken by buses and trucks to Prizren, Pristina, Urosevac, Djakovica, and Pec.
• UNHCR reports that, to date, more than 366,000 refugees have returned from Albania to Kosovo.
• According to UNHCR, nightly movements of repatriation convoys are increasing after KFOR authorized a 24-hour traffic into Kosovo from Morini. However, due to remaining security problems in Kosovo, UNHCR warned NGOs transporting returnees about the dangers of nighttime travel and has urged NGOs and local authorities to co-ordinate return movements with UNHCR, so that UNHCR receiving offices in Kosovo can be informed in advance.
• NATO has announced that it would stay in Albania, "as long as the Albanian government wants NATO to stay". Recognizing the assistance that Albania will need after the refugee crisis has been resolved, NATO has offered its support as the country continues its rapid shift from crisis management to rehabilitation and eventual long-term development.
• UNHCR has completed the rehabilitation of 32 collective centers nine prefectures in Albania that can accommodate up to 18,000 people. UNHCR has plans to expand the collective centers capacity in Albania to accommodate a total of 22,000 over the winter, should the need arise.
• WFP intend to ensure a contingency stock of food supplies for 30,000 refugees who may remain in Albania. WFP can also use these food stocks should Kosovar refugees currently in Montenegro enter Albania.

Macedonia

• UNHCR reports that some 2,400 refugees returned from Macedonia to Kosovo on July 7. These include 68 refugees who joined the UNHCR-IOM repatriation convoys returning to homes in Pristina, Urosevac, Kacanik, Gnjilane, Podujevo and Prizren. According to UNHCR/Skopje, the number of Kosovar refugees remaining in Macedonia is just over 12,000.
• UNHCR reports that, to date, 2,685 refugees in Macedonia have joined the organized return convoys.
• UNHCR Skopje dispatched 25 trucks to Kosovo on July 8, carrying tents, blankets, soap, hygienic kits and plastic sheeting to Prizren, Pec, Pristina and Urosevac. On July 7, 13 aid trucks were sent to Prizren, Djakovica, Pec, Pristina, and Urosevac.
• Several IOs and NGOs report they will expand current refugee assistance programs to assist refugees in host families in Macedonia, in collaboration with UNHCR. UNHCR estimates 8,000 refugees remain with host families, although WFP puts this figure at more than 20,000.
• UNHCR and IOM are expected to complete the verification/registration exercise for refugees with host families soon.
• The UNHCR/IOM voluntary repatriation program will cease operations effective July 9 due to the decrease in number of volunteers. UNHCR/IOM is currently transporting about 70 refugees per day, mostly those with medical problems.
• UNHCR does not plan to maintain any refugee camps by the end of summer nor will it do any winterization of camps. Only host families and collective centers will be winterized. The target population for winterization is 5,000, which does not include ethnic Serbs from Kosovo and other areas of the FRY.
• UNHCR will begin consolidation within camps. Refugees will be moved to a central location and kitchens may be provided. UNHCR is urging NGOs to continue assistance in camps until the end of the summer, especially for vulnerable populations who remain without support groups.
• UNHCR announced that Cegrane and Neprosteno refugee camps will remain open until the end of July. Senokos camp will close in July and refugees in the camp will be moved to other areas, preferably to host families. UNHCR expects all NGOs to complete services in camps in three months.
• UNHCR will "empty" Stenkovec II by the end of July; residual refugees may be moved to Cegrane. Stenkovec II currently hosts about 600-1000 refugees, mostly ethnic Albanians, some of whom UNHCR is moving to Neprosteno.
• UNHCR will use Stenkovec II to house non-Albanian Kosovars, including ethnic Serbs and Roma. About 300 Serbs are already in camps in Macedonia and about 5,000 Roma are expected to arrive from Kosovo.
• On July 7, UNHCR announced it will no longer provide daily updates on refugee numbers given that the spontaneous refugee movement to Kosovo has declined; these figures will be provided weekly as of July 7. UNHCR will continue to monitor refugee movement and collect data on a weekly basis.
• Effective July 12, DART/Macedonia situation reports will be updated three times weekly.

Refugee Camp and Collective Center Information: Macedonia
Date: July 6, 1999, 00:00hrs 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)

• UNHCR reports that on July 7, 37 people, mainly Serbs and Roma, came to Montenegro, bringing the total arrivals to around 22,000. About half of the new arrivals have reportedly moved on to Serbia proper.
• According to UNHCR, the first organized repatriation convoy from Montenegro safely transported 407 Kosovars to the western town of Pec and nearby Istok on July 7. There were 545 others who went on their own back to Kosovo. This brings the total repatriation to about 20,600.

Commodities

• No new information.

Financial Support

• To date, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided over $222 million in response to the Kosovo crisis since March 1998.

USAID/BHR	$107,560,393
State/PRM	$69,779,500
DOD	$45,281,000
TOTAL	$222,620,893

Public Donation Information

• No new information