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

* UNHCR figures have been revised to reflect movements back and forth borders more accurately.

Kosovo

• UNHCR reports that 7,700 Kosovars returned to Kosovo between July 12 and 13 from neighboring countries, bringing overall returns from countries in the region to approximately 662,000 since 15 June. Between July 12 and 13, 1,531 Kosovar refugees returned to Kosovo on convoys organized by UNHCR, IOM, NGOs and NATO troops in Albania and Kosovo. UNHCR reports that returns to Kosovo of refugees and displaced people from neighboring territories have steadily dropped as the vast majority of the refugees have already gone home.
• According to a UNHCR-organized survey, 40,000-50,000 homes across Kosovo are uninhabitable. UNHCR is encouraging returnees to start emergency repairs wherever feasible. These repairs will be supported over the next two-three months through UNHCR's basic, dry shelter kits (plastic, wood strips, nails and tools).
• UNHCR and KFOR continue to receive reports of attacks against the minority Serb and Roma communities in Kosovo. The population of Roma seeking sanctuary near the cemetery at the Brekovac (Brekoc) area has grown to approximately 500 with new arrivals from Coloni neighborhood east of Djakovica. The burning of Serb houses in the Prizren area continues daily. In the last week, 60 houses were torched in the Prizren municipality. The Orthodox Church in Prizren, which is now caring for 167 displaced Serbs and Roma, has received threats of attack. KFOR troops have stepped up patrols in the area.
• UNHCR reports that it is now receiving relief supplies from its Belgrade warehouse, which had been its main warehouse for supplying relief goods to all of Kosovo prior to the evacuation of UNHCR in late March. UNHCR emphasized that it is not procuring the supplies in Serbia; instead it has been granted access to its previous stockpile in Belgrade by Serbian authorities.
• UNHCR has requested the lead NGOs in the seven areas of responsibility (AORs) in Kosovo to increase their efforts to distribute food and non-food items. As refugee return numbers soared to over 630,000, UNHCR has called upon agencies to be ready to move "huge numbers" of commodities, particularly non-food items. The UNHCR representative acknowledged that Mother Teresa Society (MTS) was the largest local NGO for distribution, but emphasized that agencies should be examining distribution through alternative local NGOs, where appropriate, in order to reach a broader section of beneficiaries.
• Almost 10,000 refugees who participated in the UNHCR humanitarian evacuation program (HEP) have returned to Kosovo since July 7, according to UNHCR Pristina. The nearly 10,000 returnees included a first group of 1,500 organized returns from Italy, Germany, Canada, and Switzerland, as well as 8,000 who spontaneously returned. UNHCR Pristina expects this number to increase when Pristina airport is ready to accept refugee return flights.
• According a KFOR representative, the return of refugees to Kosovo through the Pristina airport is a just a question of time. KFOR emphasized it would assist UNHCR in setting up a refugee return processing center at the airport but this would take time.
• UNHCR is providing temporary shelter to several Croatian Serb families in its warehouse just outside of Pristina. UNHCR reported a small number of Krajina Serbs have left Kosovo and started to return to Croatia. A larger number are waiting in different parts of Kosovo and Serbia for eventual movement on to Romania before transiting to a third country(s).
• UNICEF announced that in cooperation with the German NGO, HELP, it has developed a checklist for mines and booby traps for returnee families to use before they re-enter their homes. According to the checklist, returnees should first talk with people who remained behind in the village or town. A family should then designate one person who has recent knowledge of the property to enter the house alone, inspecting the exterior for signs of forced entry and inspecting the interior for tripwires. Returnees should pay particular attention to all entry points into the house.
• Using information supplied by NGOs and IOs working in Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro, UNICEF has compiled a list of 850 ethnic Albanians trained as mine awareness teachers. The list provides names and village of origin for all 850 teachers as well as the refugee camp or settlement the teachers received their training in.
• With assistance from the USAID/DART military liaison officer, the USAID/DART shelter specialist organized a KFOR helicopter aerial assessment of northern and western Kosovo on July 11. The purpose of the assessment was to confirm KFOR/USG imagery findings regarding housing stock; confirm reports from NGOs regarding new house burnings; observe residential and non-residential structure damage in selected urban areas and remote villages; and provide an impetus for discussion among shelter specialists on a wide range of shelter sector issues.

Albania

• UNHCR reports that 6,200 refuges returned to Kosovo from Albania on July 12 and 13.

Macedonia

• UNHCR reports that a total of 667 refugees returned to Kosovo on July 12 and 13, bringing the total returns to 212,800.
• As of July 9, UNHCR/Skopje estimates 9,300 refugees remain in camps in Macedonia, while an additional 21,000 remain with host families. Of those in camps, about 2,500 refugees remain in Stenkovec II, 2,000 in Neprosteno, 500 in Senokos, 4,000 in Cegrane, and 150 in Radusa Collective Center.
• UNHCR reports it plans to support 20-30 collective centers after camp closings are completed in September. Only two centers have been identified so far. UNHCR expects 5,000 refugees will remain in Macedonia after September. Refugees who do not require protection and who do not require special care will be encouraged to return to Kosovo.
• The new WFP Emergency Operation Plan (EMOP), which covers the July - December 1999 period, will provide more rations to refugees in Macedonia. The new rations include wheat flour, rice, fish, pulses, salt, sugar, and vegetable oil. These rations will allow refugees to prepare their own food. The new EMOP will benefit 2.5 million people in the FRY, Macedonia, and Albania. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Mercy Corps International will continue to cover food needs in Kosovo, with funding from BHR/FFP.
• WFP is working with various NGOs to provide general food distributions to a caseload of 31,000 refugees in Macedonia, including about 10,000 in camps. Several NGOs, such as the Macedonian Red Cross (MRC), Action Against Hunger (AAH), Shelter Now International (SNI), El Hilal and Agape (both local NGOs), are also providing complementary food rations to Kosovar Albanians in Macedonia, as well as Roma and Serb minority groups from Kosovo.
• UNHCR reports about 2,000 refugees in eastern and southern Macedonia are not receiving food assistance. UNHCR and MRC are working together to identify local and international NGOs who can meet needs in this area.

Refugee Camp and Collective Center Information: Macedonia
Date: July 9, 1999, 00:00hrs GMT

Source: UNHCR Skopje.

Montenegro

• UNHCR reports that 800 Kosovars returned on July 12 and 13. The figures include 182 Kosovars who went on UNHCR's convoys.
• UNHCR Podgorica reports that between 9 June and 4 July, around 22,000 Serbs and Roma entered Montenegro from Kosovo. A large group of Roma has been camping out near the port of Bar, unwilling to accept accommodation in tent sites in Ulcinj.

Commodities

• No new information.

Financial Support

• To date, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided over $288 million in response to the Kosovo crisis since March 1998.

USAID/BHR	$143,360,393
State/PRM	$99,494,601
DOD	$45,281,000
TOTAL	$288,135,994