<A HREF="http://www.disasterrelief.org/Disasters/990407Kosovo8/">Click here: Macedonian Refugee Camp Abruptly Emptied; Thousands Forced Back to Kosovo </A> Macedonian Refugee Camp Abruptly Emptied; Thousands Forced Back to Kosovo Posted on Wed, 07 Apr 1999 11:36:03 GMT Written by Doug Rekenthaler Jr., Managing Editor, DisasterRelief.org A day after ripping NATO leaders for failing to recognize the humanitarian consequences of their airstrikes against Yugoslavia, the Macedonian government early Wednesday abruptly moved tens of thousands of refugees from a squalid border crossing into vast new tent cities set up by NATO forces and relief agencies. More worrisome, however, was Yugoslavia's decision to close all border crossings leading out of Kosovo, effectively trapping thousands of Kosovars in the conflict zone. By dawn on Wednesday, the squalid border crossing at Blace was a desolate wasteland. Working through the night, Macedonian authorities moved tens of thousands from the camp at Blace, which had drawn international condemnation for its horrific living conditions. But on Wednesday, the sun rose over a desolate wasteland. Gone were the teeming masses of desperate refugees, huddled against the rain and cold, collapsing from exposure and disease. In their place stood mountains of trash, mud, and human waste. Most of the refugees were moved to a gleaming new NATO tent city in Brazda, and thousands of others found temporary new homes at other relief camps nearby. NATO officials said the Brazda camp could hold up to 60,000 people, and that six other tent cities were being constructed and supplied in advance of the arrival of additional refugees. Witnesses said the new enclaves are "an immense improvement" over the conditions at Blace. Refugees have access to food, shelter, clean water, and medical care. Of serious concern to NATO leaders, however, is the fate of the tens of thousands of refugees who had been waiting to enter Macedonia from the Kosovo side of the border. By morning, they were gone, forced to turn back by Serb forces who told them it was safe to return home (ostensibly, because of Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic's call for a unilateral ceasefire. NATO leaders dismissed the ceasefire and continued their bombing campaign). Serb forces also closed the border crossings into Albania, where officials with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated 262,000 ethnic Albanians have sought refuge. Relief officials in Albania and Macedonia expressed concern about the fate of the Kosovars, questioning whether the Serbs might use the refugees as human shields to deter NATO bombing attacks. The move to NATO and other relief camps means refugees no longer will have to sleep in the mud. On Tuesday, Macedonian Prime Minister Lupco Georgievski blasted NATO leaders as "completely irresponsible" in failing to anticipate the enormous humanitarian crisis that would result from the bombing campaign. "The people in Brussels [NATO headquarters] started the war and left for Easter holidays," he said. "They left the problem for Macedonia." All that remains in Blace is a vast field of garbage and mud. Georgievski said 81,000 refugees have been registered by Macedonian officials, and he estimated that the country has absorbed at least 130,000 ethnic Albanians since the bombing campaign began two weeks ago. In all, nearly 450,000 Kosovars have fled that country since the start of hostilities. In Albania, Greek and Italian forces were setting up several tent cities to hold 100,000 refugees near Kukes. The United Nations' World Food Program said at least 80 percent of the refugees in Albania have now been provided with food packets. NATO also is setting up three tent cities in Albania and airlifting supplies to the region. Meanwhile, the effort to airlift tens of thousands of refugees to host nations continued on Wednesday. Turkey accepted 3,000 more Kosovars on Tuesday. Turkey, which has strong historical and religious ties to Kosovo's ethnic Albanian population, has agreed to take 20,000 refugees. Germany said it will accept 40,000, the U.S. 20,000, and several other NATO countries indicated they will accept several thousand each. In another development, Spyro Kyprianou, the acting president of Cyprus, indicated he will travel to Belgrade today to seek the release of three American soldiers detained by Serb forces. Kyprianou said his mission was strictly humanitarian and that he was not going to discuss any issues related to the conflict itself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Who's Helping International Committee of Red Cross International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies American Red Cross CARE Church World Services Unicef AmeriCares Related Stories Kosovo Exodus Continues as Refugee Airlift Begins; Border Situation Worsens -- April 6, 1999 NATO Members, Relief Agencies Struggle Under Weight of Kosovo Humanitarian Disaster -- April 4, 1999 Kosovo Refugee Population Reaching Critical Mass; Region's Stability Questioned -- April 2, 1999 Kosovo's Tide of Human Misery Overwhelms Albanian, Macedonian Border Areas -- April 1, 1999 Aid Rushes In As Kosovo Exodus Explodes with 130,000 Refugees in One Week -- March 31, 1999 Kosovo Humanitarian Disaster Forces Hundreds of Thousands from their Homes -- March 29, 1999 Related Links International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies International Committee of Red Cross U.S. Committee for Refugees UNICEF-USA Kosovo Operation United Nations High Commission for Refugees
