U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) KOSOVO CRISIS Factsheet #12 March 30, 1999
CURRENT HUMANITARIAN SITUATION All relief organizations have evacuated Kosovo at this time, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which had remained in Kosovo after the NATO bombing campaign began. International relief agencies continue to operate in Skopje, Macedonia, and are turning their efforts to the needs of the refugees coming into Macedonia. Very little information is available from inside Kosovo, due to the evacuation of all international organizations, staff, and journalists. The little information available from ethnic Albanian refugees crossing the border into Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro indicates that there are widespread displacements and killings of ethnic Albanians by Serb forces. The USAID/OFDA Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), in Skopje, Macedonia, has no independent information on this situation. The DART reports, however, that the Mother Teresa Society (MTS) warehouse in Pristina was burned to the ground by Serb forces and/or civilans on or about March 26, and that NGO offices in Pristina have been ransacked. The U.S. Information Agency's office in Pristina, out of which the DART operations had been run, has also been destroyed by Serb retaliatory actions. Albania is experiencing a dramatic influx of refugees from Kosovo, most of whom have been arriving since March 24, 1999. The relief agencies currently in Albania are positioning themselves to respond to the needs of an even greater influx over a period of the next several weeks. The office of the Albanian Prime Minister is holding a humanitarian planning meeting twice a day to stay on top of the situation and work with relief agencies. The U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is preparing to send out a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Albania. The mission of the Albania DART will be to advise the U.S. Ambassador on humanitarian issues, assess and report on the humanitarian situation and response, support the efforts of UNHCR, WFP, and NGOs working in the region, and to consult with NATO. Displacements: Over 100,000 people have been displaced from Kosovo since March 24, UNHCR reported on March 30. No numbers are available on the current internal displacements of ethnic Albanians or Serbs in Kosovo. Estimates of people who have left their homes and may be making their way to the border run as high as 500,000, according to NATO, and 1 million, according to some press reports. Prior to the beginning of NATO operations on March 24, UNHCR estimated that there were 260,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kosovo. In Macedonia, there are currently 13,650 refugees registered. The unregistered refugees amount to 9,300, according to the Government of Macedonia, for a total number of at least 22,950 refugees in the country. This number is increasing constantly, however, and it is expected that numbers are closer to 25,000 to 30,000 refugees. Some refugees crossing into Macedonia are reportedly continuing on to Bulgaria and Turkey. As of UNHCR's latest information on March 29, Macedonian border authorities were allowing refugees without passports to cross the border and receive asylum. Refugees without Macedonian passports or visas are required to register as refugees with the local police. Those with Macedonian passports or with visas are allowed to cross the border as tourists. The USAID/OFDA DART has been making border visits and reports that an estimated 2,000 - 3,000 refugees crossed the border on March 29 and on March 30, 5,000 new refugees registered, while 3,000 are still waiting to be registered. The DART also reported that at the Blace border crossing, an estimated 5,000 people were still waiting to get into Macedonia. Nearly all refugees that the DART and NGOs talked to coming through the border were from the municipalities of Pristina, Prizren, and Urozevac. Over 65,000 refugees have arrived in Albania since March 24, 1999, according to UNHCR. The OSCE and the Government of Albanian reported that in excess of 60,000 refugees entered Albania between March 28 and 29. UNHCR reports that refugees are arriving at a rate of 2,000 per hour, many of whom are crossing at the border into Kukis (pronounced Kukesh). Some press reports indicate that the flow has increased to 4,000 refugees crossing the border per hour. The total number of Kosovar refugees in Albania is estimated to be at least 83,500 by UNHCR. Approximately 18,500 refugees from Kosovo were in Albania prior to the beginning of NATO operations on March 24. UNHCR's estimates of displacements to other areas of Serbia/Montenegro and the Balkans are as follows: prior to March 24, 1999, there were 55,000 displaced from Kosovo to other parts of Serbia/Montenegro, 25,000 of whom were in Montenegro. Currently, the government of Montenegro estimates an additional 10,000 refugees have entered Montenegro since March 24, UNHCR can confirm 3,000 of these cases. UNHCR estimates Bosnia-Herzegovina hosted 10,000 refugees from Kosovo prior to March 24, and an additional 5,000 have entered the country since March 24, mostly Muslims from the Sandjak region of Serbia fearing Serbian reprisal. Prior to March 24, 100,000 refugees from Kosovo had fled to other areas of Europe. No new data is available. KOSOVO Humanitarian Needs and International Response: No information is available at this time from international relief agencies as to the needs in Kosovo. Refugees leaving Kosovo are reporting food shortages, destruction of their homes, and forced displacement from their villages. The final two international relief agencies working in Kosovo, ICRC and MSF, have now left. The local NGO, the Mother Teresa Society (MTS), has suspended operations due to the insecurity prevailing throughout Kosovo, and the destruction of several of their warehouses. U.S. Government Response: The USAID/OFDA Disaster Assistance Response Team has not been able to work in Kosovo since the NATO bombing campaign began. As soon as the situation allows, the DART will return to Kosovo to continue its assistance activities. Prior to its departure, the DART had programmed over $5.6 million for health, shelter, water/sanitation programs, and other emergency needs. MACEDONIA Humanitarian Needs and International Response: The Macedonian Red Cross (MRC) has set up tents to process the refugees trapped in the hills, and developed a system of tractors and carts to transport the refugees. A local NGO, El Halil, is providing food and water to the refugees who are crossing the border on foot. Food and health assistance are the primary needs for refugees arriving in Macedonia. Beginning next week, the World Food Program will be bringing in 210 MT of food, enough for 15,000 refugees for one month. Health needs are being addressed by mobile clinic operations through International Medical Corps (IMC) and Medecins du Monde (MDM). Doctors of the World/Greece (DOW/G) is also repairing ambulantas in the Tetovo region, and has provided medicine and equipment to three ambulantas. Shelter has been provided for most of the 20,000 or more refugees who have arrived in country by relatives or host families. Host families could potentially take in a total of 50,000 refugees from Kosovo. However, a larger influx will require other shelter responses. UNHCR is looking into setting up collective centers if necessary. Those relief organizations previously in country, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Doctors of the World/Greece (DOW/G), and the Macedonian Red Cross (MRC), are now complemented by those relief organizations previously working in Kosovo which have now moved their operations to Macedonia. U.S. Government Repsonse: The USAID/OFDA DART remains in Skopje to coordinate the USG's humanitarian response and work with international relief agencies to provide timely and appropriate assistance. The DART has been working closely with UNHCR to determine current international response capacity and gaps in assistance and with NGOs to develop programs to address the health, shelter, food, and water/sanitation needs as they arise. Also in response to the humanitarian needs of refugees from Kosovo in Macedonia, USAID/OFDA is sending 200 boxes of plastic sheeting (480,000 sq. ft.), 20,000 hygiene kits, and 39,000 blankets from its stockpiles in Pisa, Italy, to Skopje for use in relief efforts. Due to the closure of a number of international airports in the region, including that of Skopje, these supplies are being sealifted to Thessaloniki, Greece, and trucked into Skopje. The total cost of these commodities (including transport) is $431,910. ALBANIA Humanitarian Needs and International Response: Food has been identified by the Government of Albania (GOA) and relief agencies as the most critical need at this time. Food rations and wheat have been sent to Kukis by the World Food Program (WFP) and the GOA. WFP has delivered 10 MT of high protein biscuits to Kukis and has sent an additional convoy of 40 MT of wheat flour and 10 MT of biscuits to the area. WFP has 781 MT of food stocks on hand in Albania in the form of wheat flour, beans, and vegetable oil. This is enough to feed 56,250 refugees for one month. WFP is also prepositioning additional supplies in Thessaloniki, Greece. In the region, WFP has 21,000 MT of food and NGOs have another 10,000 MT of food, most of which is in Bar, Montenegro. The USAID Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) has sufficient P.L. 480 Title II food in the region to feed 500,000 people for three months. Title II food makes up part of the WFP and NGO stocks. Transport of supplies is crucial to meeting the food needs because Kukis, in mountainous northern Albania, is an area to which access is often very difficult. In addition, the Tirana's international airport is closed, which increases transport difficulties. The international relief community has identified helicopters as necessary for transporting these supplies in a timely manner, but helicopters cannot safely fly to border areas. Other transport options being planned for include airlift or trucking of supplies into the country. Supplies may also be shipped into the Greek port of Thessaloniki and the Italian port of Brindisi for onward transport. Shelter is another critical need but shelter/campsite possibilities are limited at this time in Albania. The GOA has designated some refugee sheltering sites. UNHCR says these sites are prepared to receive up to 10,000 people. Another 2,000 spaces will be available by the end of April, and another 6,000 by the end of May, UNHCR also reports. However, these sites are limited and not able to accommodate the anticipated large influx of refugees. Shelter is also a need that can be partially fulfilled by host families. The GOA reports that host families are prepared to received at least 20,000 refugees, with some likelihood that host families would open up their homes to up to 50,000 refugees. For the 65,000 refugees that have arrived in country since March 24, UNHCR says it has identified housing for 4,000 in collective centers and 10,000 in host families. UNHCR says it will be looking towards tents to shelter the remaining 50,000. The health status of refugees is also being considered by UNHCR. UNICEF has provided 1500 hygiene kits to Albania and drugs to Kukis. WHO is also present in Albania, supporting Albania's medical capacity. Additional information will be provided as available. U.S. Government Response: The U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is deploying a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Albania. The mission of the DART will be to advise the U.S. Ambassador on humanitarian issues, assess and report on the humanitarian situation and response, support the efforts of UNHCR, WFP, and NGOs working in the region, and to consult with NATO. The DART will be working to identify needs not being met by current humanitarian efforts, and coordinate the U.S. Government's response to the refugee needs. The DART will consist of a team leader, deputy team leader/program officer, information officer, military liaison officer, communications officer, food officer, and an administrative officer. The DART will provide the USG with a constant, on-the- ground presence for timely and targeted implementation of humanitarian programs. USAID/OFDA is also shipping 700 tents to Tirana for housing refugees and 20,000 plastic water jugs. The cost of this assistance amounts to $257,800. SUMMARY OF USG ASSISTANCE TO DATE U.S. Government Assistance committed to the Kosovo crisis to date (estimated) $95, 694,823 USAID/BHR Assistance $45,060,823 BHR/OFDA $16,507,523 BHR/FFP $28,553,300 State/PRM $49,742,000 DOD/PK/HA $892,000 USAID/BHR Assistance: The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) dispatched a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Kosovo on Oct 14, 1998 in response to the fast-changing situation and growing humanitarian needs. The mission of the DART is to assess and report on the humanitarian situation and response, identify needs not being met by current humanitarian efforts, review proposals for relief activities, monitor OFDA-funded humanitarian activities, and recommend future actions. The DART provides the USG with a constant, on-the-ground presence for timely and targeted implementation of humanitarian programs. OFDA is funding a comprehensive humanitarian assistance program implemented by its partner NGOs: Action Contre la Faim (ACF), CARE, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Children's Aid Direct (CAD), Doctors of the World (DOW), Handicap International (HI), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Medecins du Monde (MDM), Mercy Corps International (MCI), and Solidarit's. OFDA-funded programs have been addressing the wide range of needs of the affected community in Kosovo. These programs provide medical assistance in the form of mobile medical clinics; shelter repair to provide one warm room per home for selected affected families; emergency food, clothing, stove, blanket, and hygiene material distributions; and repairs to water/sanitation systems in conflict-affected areas. OFDA is also funding the World Food Program to provide coordination, storage and transport support for emergency goods distribution. In FY1999, to date, OFDA has committed over $4.5 million in program funding for emergency humanitarian response in Kosovo. In addition, OFDA has provided a total of $689,710 in commodities to assist the refugees in Albania and Macedonia. The Office of Food For Peace (FFP) has committed over $28 million in Title II emergency food commodities, which will be distributed directly to families and individuals most affected by war, or provided to social institutions which can no longer be supported otherwise. The aid is targeted towards 532,500 beneficiaries in Kosovo, 70,000 Kosovar Albanian refugees and affected populations in Montenegro, and over 100,000 Kosovar Albanian refugees and affected residents in Albania, Serbia, and Macedonia. This assistance is expected to cover needs for 6 months and will be distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), CRS, and MCI, together with the efforts of the Mother Teresa Society (MTS) and the Yugoslav Red Cross. State/PRM Assistance: The Department of State Office for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) has provided funding to UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as to NGOs working IDPs in Kosovo and with Kosovar Albanian refugees in Albania. Some of this funding was provided through the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) drawdown authorized by President Clinton on September 9, 1998. The funding provided to UNHCR, ICRC, UNICEF, and WHO was in response to the latest U.N. Interagency Consolidated Emergency Appeal for Kosovo. On January 26, President Clinton authorized another ERMA drawdown in the amount of $25 million for Kosovo. This funding is being disbursed among UN agencies, NGOs, and ICRC. State/PRM also provides funding to international NGOs in collaboration with OFDA recommendation through an offset agreement between PRM and OFDA. State/PRM funding to NGOs in FY1999 totals $6.5 million to date. DOD Assistance: The Department of Defense Office of Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Assistance has provided 220,000 humanitarian daily rations to UNHCR at a cost of $880,000 and eight surplus vehicles to WFP at a transport cost of approximately $12,000. The conflict in Kosovo began at the end of February 1998. This figure reflects the amount of funding that has been given to Kosovo and the surrounding region affected by the conflict (through refugee flows) since that time. distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org appeal fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -