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| Angola: would you go back? |
| What happens to a "Lost Boy?" |
| Thank you from Moscow |
| Update from Liberia |
| Kosovo in Crisis |
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UNHCR is busy helping refugees all over the world. Find out more about what we're doing in countries like Chad, Venezuela and Iraq. |
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Mr. António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, sends a message to UNHCR's donors. |
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Paulo Chiyulo, UN Refugee Agency, Senior Field Clerk in Luau, Angola helping his people return home after 27 years of war.
Violence has once again erupted in the Serbian province of Kosovo, forcing thousands of ethnic minorities to flee their homes.
With the help of NATO-led peacekeeping troops, many minority Serbs have been evacuated to safety. Thousands have been displaced, dozens killed, and more than 500 injured, as their homes and churches have been torched by angry crowds. To deal with the crisis UNHCR is working with other UN agencies and aid organizations to deliver emergency assistance to the most needy, especially women and children.
Last month the UN Refugee Agency’s High Commissioner, Ruud Lubbers, appealed to Serbia and Montenegro's ethnic communities to refrain from further violence. Violence has spread throughout Serbia and Montenegro. Retaliatory crowds have attacked mosques in Belgrade, the capital city, threatening a return to the violence against ethnic Albanian groups which took place throughout this region only a few years ago.
With help from people like you, UNHCR is distributing food, mattresses, blankets, jerry cans and hygiene items to the displaced people, who represent nearly 10 percent of the minority population in the Albanian-dominated southern portion of Kosovo. When the environment is amenable,UNHCR will help those displaced return to their homes.
Flashback
With unemployment high, the economy weak, and tensions increasing, the recent violence in Kosovo conjures up memories of ethnic cleansing in the late 1990s when ethnic Albanians were attacked by Serbian forces. The ensuing war forced more than 1 million refugees to flee the country and displaced an additional 700,000. Since 1999, UNHCR has provided protection and emergency assistance for these innocents, facilitating their return and reintegration when it was safe. To reduce ethnic tensions, the agency has been involved in reconstruction and income-generating programs for ethnic Albanian-returnees struggling to rebuild their lives in the war-torn province.
Photo captions
Top: Widespread destruction in Kosovo, seen here in Djakova in 1999, has become a reality again. © UNHCR/H.Caux
Inset: In 1998 UNCHR provided protection and assistance for thousands of internally displaced Kosovar Albanian children. © UNHCR/U.Meissner
In the last newsletter we told you about our efforts to bring stability to displaced people and refugees in Liberia. Many of you decided to help. Here’s the latest... Thousands of people will be waking up in Liberia this morning in a well-equipped camp where they can wash, cook and feel safe.They can also gain information about their home area – whether it is open yet in the wake of the peace deal, and what help will be available for returning there. Life is still uncertain and extremely hard, but it is in marked contrast to the filthy city stairwells, floors and unhygienic stadium where many had been camping in the capital, Monrovia, just a few months ago. By rehabilitating camps looted in the fighting, and organizing patrols and transport there, we have enabled people to feel more secure. This is vital for making informed decisions about the next step: when to return home. We have recently been out assessing areas further from Monrovia, thanks to the arrival of UN forces who are fanning out across the country. When it is safe for people to make the move home, we will be helping them. Meanwhile, in the first four weeks of a disarmament and demobilisation campaign, one in four ex-combatants has surrendered their weapons or registered to do so – a promising sign that even the fighters are tired and want to give peace a chance.
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For more of the latest news on the situation in Liberia, visit the TOP: Despite lack of security and economic opportunity, an overwhelming number of Liberians chose to return home after the signing of the 2003 peace agreement. © UNHCR/R.Ochlik
