REFUGEE'S DRAMA: FIRST OR LAST ACT

Among 100 thousand refugees in Kukes

AIM TIRANA, APRIL 13, 1999

KUKES - You get to Kukes after eight hours of journey from Tirana and you can see everywhere there is a free space the refugees from Kosovo. The majority still outside in open air, in improvised camps with plastic sheets that the downpour and the wind turn them inutile. Many others that have arrived here with tractors have transformed them in mobile homes where up to some twenty persons remain stuffed. Most of them are children while it is visible that quite all the deported that have remained in Kukes are peasants. As they say, the majority of citizen population, particularly those from Pristina, headed to Macedonia. But also those people from the cities that crossed the Qafe Morina, especially the inhabitants of Prizren, preferred to descend to the lower parts of Albania where they hope for better life conditions. In fact, in the road to Kukes you can see many cars without number plates living Kukes . The Serbian police has taken off the plates from all cars and tractors of refugees.

The representative of the Government, Viktor Doda, Vice-Minister of Industry says that "at its best Kukes, with only 20.000 inhabitants, can not guest more than 25.000 refugees". Actually, in Kukes there are around 100.000 persons. Only 5.000 of them have been hosted in a camp set up by the Italian government, while the majority has been sheltered by families of Kukes. Meanwhile the majority of them are still in open air without any normal life condition.

On the other hand the rhythm of evacuation in other parts of Albania has decreased sensibly - in the main square of the city automobiles are visibly waiting - but according to the authorities most of the peasant families do not want to live Kukes. They hope that the crisis will soon end and they want to stay close to the border, when it will open again to immediately return to their homes.

However, it is to say that the evacuation is an element of crisis management which together with the public order have functioned good so far. At the top of the evacuation there were around 600-700 cars supplied by the Government for the transportation of the refugees ( according to the representative of the Government, almost the capacity of Albanian state structures), most of them were army cars which could enable the evacuation to other parts of the country of 15.000 to 20.000 persons per day. According to the figures provided by the Prefecture of Kukes, in this area have passed a total of 270.000 refugees 170.000 of which have been evacuated in other regions of the country.

It is not difficult to understand that without a prompt intervention to help, settle or evacuate the refugees remained in Kukes , the situation soon can turn critical. With few exemptions, to the refugees have been secured only bred and biscuits yet (16.000 breads are supplied by the Albanian Government and some other 8.000 by the Italians). The food structure, especially for children, remains problematic. Worst are the hygienic and health conditions. Excluding those who live in the Italian camp, tens of thousand live in open air and satisfy their physiologic needs where they can. There is a urgent need for medicines, health equipment etc. The hospital of the city is overloaded. Actually there are hospitalized 140 while its capacity is much lower. The same situation is presented in the only Polyclinic of the city where long ques of Kosovars are seen in every time of the day, particularly women with kids, most of them in heavy conditions.

The International Organizations specialized for such emergencies like UNHCR and Red Cross, not only were taken aback for this announced crisis, but they still are far from functioning. And most of the aid they bring are not those necessary.

On the other hand, in the local level, an obstacle which could potentially turn to important after the first emotional moments and would negatively influence the situation, is the conflict between the local power at the cities level and region controlled by the Democratic Party in the opposition and the representatives of the central government and prefectures that represent the Socialist Party. As an employee of the Municipality told us: "These (Municipality's high ranked) only want the government to fail".

In any case, independently from the problems, the situation can be considered generally under control and, beyond any doubt, the people of Kukes is contributing with its solidarity to help and shelter the comers. On the other hand the situation created, besides the great problems it has brought for the city, for the moment it presents also its positive economical aspects. To the great number of people arrived we should add hundreds of journalists that stay in Kukes since many days, apart from the problems, there is an increased of the trade and a flow of foreign currency for the poor and isolated city of Kukes. "In a week the retailers have sold as much as in a year", told us a citizen.

But if the number of the comers will remain the same or will increase as it seems last days, it is possible that in the city would show the signs of tensions, which were discernable with a kind of cooling of enthusiasm of the indigenous and an increased concern about the sanitary situation created.

The authorities think that the refugees should organize the soonest possible in camps managed by international organizations while the Albanian Government will care the protection and security. Until now, beside the Italian camp for 5.000 people (there are voices about a second Italian camp), there are no signs in this direction.

Many members of KLA move freely in the city while at its entrance a preparation camp is visible. There have not been important incidents in the border close the city but after the tragic events of Tropoja the city has started to feel insecure. Actually, the fear is of a possible infiltration of Yugoslavian spies. On all the walls of the city are visible writings against agents of UDB (Yugoslavian Secret Service) such as "Death to agents of UDB". There were voices of 15 arrested accused as agents of Yugoslavia and after the last opening of the border the controls were more accurate.

It should not be forgotten that near the city of Kukes where are four - five villages where lives a population of Slave origin Muslims who have enjoyed free entrance in Serbia during last years when all this was impossible for the rest of the population. Their relations with the other part of the population have been very good, but there are signs that they are beginning to be seen with a certain diffidence.

The refugee's drama still continues and nobody knows if we are in the first or the last act.

PIRO MISHA (AIM)