Ironically, the Kosovo conflict has highlighted the largely ignored plight of 550,000 refugees

By Paula Ghedini

They number more than half a million exiles, and as a group form the largest concentration of refugees in Europe. Thousands of people live in converted schoolrooms, barracks or former factories. Entire families have squeezed into tiny single-room accommodation, many for as long as seven years. Some people, having escaped war once in their own country, find themselves entrapped by renewed conflict in their adopted homes. Thus far, only a few thousand people have managed to go home and for the first time many are beginning to accept they may never return.

The plight of these refugees living in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has remained largely ignored by the outside world for years, but ironically, as the conflict in the country’s Kosovo province exploded onto the world’s television screens in 1998 and this year, the future of these forgotten people has come into sharper focus.

When the old Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia crumpled in 1991 and fighting erupted first in Croatia and the next year in Bosnia-Herzegovina, hundreds of thousands of civilians fled in every direction, many ethnic Serbs to the rump Yugoslav state comprising the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro. In 1995, 170,000 local Serbs abandoned the Krajina region of Croatia following a government onslaught called Operation Storm and trekked on foot, by car, horse-drawn carts and tractors toward Belgrade.

By this time, Yugoslavia was playing host not only to the largest number of refugees in Europe, but also one of the largest in the world. But because President Slobodan Milosevic was widely perceived to be the main instigator of the Balkan conflict, the international community was less generous with its aid programs toYugoslavia than to other areas such as Bosnia. The situation deteriorated further when fighting in Kosovo began and renewed economic sanctions were slapped on Belgrade for its role in that situation. And although all governments in the region paid lip service to helping all refugees go home, in reality large-scale repatriation has been effectively blocked.

Nowhere to turn

Those developments left the bulk of Yugoslavia’s 550,000 refugees in a state of limbo, uncertain whether they would ever be allowed to go home and if not, whether they could rebuild their lives here or seek a new future in a third country.

UNHCR since 1991 has provided $250 million in assistance, first as emergency help for newly arriving refugees and then for a series of programs designed to help them whatever final decision they made on their future.

Last year, the organization helped more than 510,000 people directly or through cooperating agencies. UNHCR allocated $8 million in 1998-99 for income generating projects, to help refugees remaining in Yugoslavia to establish small businesses by opening beauty salons, restaurants, bee-keeping and agricultural cooperatives. During 1999 it will continue a program to build or finance 480 housing units for around 2,500 refugees. Two-thirds of these units are self-help projects in which UNHCR and local municipalities provide the materials and technical support and refugees themselves build their own homes, fostering both self reliance and community spirit.

For the 40,000 people still living in 544 collective centers throughout the country, UNHCR has continued to provide not only traditional dry food items, but through five consecutive winters such things as fresh fruits, vegetables, heating fuel and high protein food as well as implementing education, health and social projects and recreational activities for children.

But the future remains clouded by doubt for the great majority of refugees. Since Serbia introduced a new Citizenship Law in 1997, 100,000 people have applied and 42,000 have been approved for citizenship and permanent residence. No one has been rejected thus far. Others would prefer to try to restart their lives in a new part of the world and last year more than 6,000 refugees were resettled under an official UNHCR program, primarily in the United States, Canada, Australia and various European countries. A similar number are expected to move this year, though with applications running at around 400 per week especially from Kosovo, demand far outweighs the number of places available.

The most disappointing and frustrating problem, however, remains the right of return. Thus far only 3,000 refugees have gone back to Croatia and 1,000 to Bosnia. According to UNHCR and government estimates there could be a larger return in 1999 which officials not only in Yugoslavia, but also in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia (see separate stories) see as a decisive make-or-break year in trying to engineer large-scale repatriation.

UNHCR had filed 14,000 return applications with the Croatian Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees (ODPR) by the end of 1998 and a further 8,000 applications in early 1999. This followed a joint countrywide voluntary repatriation information campaign jointly presented by UNHCR and the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees (SCR) which included briefings by UNHCR field officers from Croatia.

After one such meeting, members of the Karan family from the Krajina decided to put aside their deep fears and return to their ancestral home. “Of course we worry about security,” the father said. “I just hope I can find a job once we return. But we know our house has not been destroyed and we need to go home.” Most refugees in Yugoslavia probably have similar sentiments, but a big doubt hangs over whether they will be able to fulfill their dreams.

Source: Refugees Magazine issue 114 (1999)