U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) KOSOVO CRISIS Factsheet # 30 April 19, 1999
Highlights: Regional - Montenegro: UNHCR reports that over 73,500 displaced people from Kosovo are now in Montenegro. Refugees/IDPs Displaced from Kosovo Country Total Refugees Entries in last 24 hrs Departures Macedonia 132,500 500 700 (4/18) Albania 365,000 6,000 None Montenegro 73,500 500 None *All numbers are estimates from UNHCR Headquarters. These numbers are constantly changing and being verified. UNHCR Humanitarian Evacuations (beginning April 6 to date) Receiving Country Number of Refugees Austria 161 Belgium 340 France 348 Germany 9,974 Israel 106 Norway 1,104 Turkey 1,712 Others (Poland, Iceland, Switzerland) 116 TOTAL 13,861 ** ** Some refugees were moved to third countries prior to April 6 by the Government of Macedonia: 10,000 were moved to Albania, 5,500 to Greece, and 1,980 to Turkey. Another 88 were sent to Croatia under a bilateral agreement between the Government of Macedonia and the Government of Croatia. Albania - After an influx of some 34,000 refugees on Apri116-17, the rate of new arrivals slowed on April 18. As of April 19, UNHCR headquarters reports a total of 365,000 refugees in Albania, 6,000 of whom entered in the last 24 hours. - The FRY-Albania border was closed April 18 after the announcement that the FRY was breaking off diplomatic relations with Albania. According to the DART, the border remains closed and UNHCR reports that no new refugees have entered Albania as of mid-morning, April 19. - WFP reports that on April 18 the line of refugees waiting to cross the border at Qafa e Morinit was 10.6 miles long, with 3-4,000 people per kilometer. - Transit centers in the Kukes area are being expanded to accommodate the new refugee influx. UNHCR reports that 100,000 refugees are now in the town of Kukes, making shelter and sanitation key concerns. UNHCR has established a Water/Sanitation Coordination Cell in Kukes to respond to operational needs and maximize the limited human and material resources available in the area. - Transfer of refugees from northern Albania to points in the south remains limited to 5,000 daily. The government plans to begin airlifting refugees to locations including Shkoder, Fier and possibly Tirana. - The Joint Task Force - Shining Hope (JTF-SH) has completed preliminary planning for refugee camp construction. The first shipment of tents departs Travis Air Force Base on April 19 and the final shipment will depart on April 23. Three sites are currently under consideration. - Poor weather continues to hamper helicopter flights ferrying relief supplies from Tirana to Kukes. Of the 26 flights scheduled on April 18, only 10 were able to land, according to the DART. Bad weather continues to delay the offloading of the ship carrying commodities shipped from Bar last week. WFP reports having approximately 700 MTs wheat flour in stock, but no pulses, vegetable oil, or sugar other than the stocks onboard the ship awaiting offloading. Macedonia - UNHCR headquarters estimates that there are 132,500 refugees currently in Macedonia, 500 of whom have entered the country in the last 24 hours. According to OSCE, another 3,000 refugees crossed the border in the mountains between Kumanovo and Blace at Miratovac. These refugees were absorbed into host families. - There are currently an estimated 46,400 refugees in camps and 80,600 refugees with host families. - Camp details: According to NATO all camps are filled to capacity. Numbers below are becoming more refined as UNHCR registration continues. - Stankovac I (Brazda): 25,100 refugees (as of 4/19). On April 17, NATO began to expand the site into some privately owned farmland; some 30-40 farmers began to protest this action outside the front gate of the camp. NATO subsequently pulled back the perimeter of the camp to its earlier boundary. - Stankovac II: 12,300 refugees (as of 4/19). - Radusa: an estimated 1,500 refugees (as of 4/19). - Bojane: an estimated 3,200 refugees (as of 4/19). - Neprosteno: UNHCR estimates 3,300 refugees. An additional 900 have entered in the last 24 hours who have not yet been registered by UNHCR (as of 4/19). - Senokos (15 km east of Tetovo): UNHCR estimates 550 refugees. OSCE and Mercy Corps International (which runs the camp) report that there are 819 refugees in the camp (as of 4/19). MCI and the Macedonian authorities are cooperating very well. Villagers from Senokos have also been allowed to bring food and other materials to the refugees (Senokos village itself hosts approximately 1,000 refugees in families). - The World Food Program (WFP) reports that on April 18 it delivered a one week's ration of HDRs, canned meat, and contingency stocks for new arrivals to two camps (Neprosteno and Senokos); Stankovac I and II received less than a one week's ration. Needs in Radusa and Bojane are being assessed. 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. - On February 19, USAID/OFDA's DART in Kosovo moved from Pristina to Skopje, Macedonia. The team is comprised of a Team Leader, a Program Officer, two Field Officers, a Food for Peace Officer, an Administrative Officer, a Military Liaison Officer, an Information Officer, and a Communications Specialist. USG Humanitarian Assistance: Commodities - WFP currently has over 1,100 MTs of commodities in Macedonia, including an approximate 700 MTs of wheat flour. Financial Support - On March 31, President Clinton announced a package of $50 million in aid to address the urgent humanitarian needs of those affected by the conflict in Kosovo. Of this amount $25 million will come from the Emergency Refugee and Migration Account (ERMA) and is to be disbursed to UNHCR and other international entities involved in the relief effort. The other $25 million will be comprised of supplies and services from the DOD, including relief materials, shelter, and food. - Since the beginning of the crisis in February 1998, the USG has provided an estimated $150 million to respond to the humanitarian needs relating to the crisis in Kosovo. 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 does not recommend in-kind donations of clothing, food, medicines, or other goods as the handling, storage, and transport of these materials from the U.S. to the Balkans would be extremely complicated, time-consuming, and expensive. - USAID encourages the public to contact directly those private voluntary organizations (PVOs) which are currently working in Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina to provide monetary donations. Financial contributions to PVOs will allow these professional aid organizations to purchase exactly what is most needed by the victims of the conflict in Kosovo and to pay for transport and other costs associated with the distribution of relief supplies. Cash contributions allow humanitarian agencies based in the Balkans to procure food, medicine, clothing, shelter materials, and other relief goods locally and regionally, thereby greatly speeding the delivery of this assistance to those most in need. - A list of PVOs that are currently working in, or have affiliates in, the Balkan countries may be obtained from the USAID website at www.info.usaid.gov. The list is composed of non-profit organizations 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. This hotline, which is staffed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 2,131 calls were received by the public donation hotline on April 15, and 32,586 calls have been received since April 6. - Past USAID/OFDA Factsheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at the following URL: distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org appeal fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kosovo: http://www.vita.org/disaster/kosovo.htm