Refugees in Montenegro

Neither Life nor Death

Nowadays, refugees in Montenegro form 15 per cent of the total population. It is an enormous economic, demographic and health problem for the state burdened by economic crisis and internal political tensions

AIM Podgorica, 16 April, 1999

Despite expectations of Montenegrin officials that the inflow of refugees from Kosovo would die down, in the past two days another seven thousand banished persons entered this republic. They have arrived on foot, over mountain passes, fleeing from their villages between Kosovska Mitrovica and Istok. Exhausted and starving, they found their first refuge after several-day long journey in Rozaje, a town fifteen kilometres from the border with Kosovo. For the first time from the beginning of the great refugee crisis, the town crisis staff was forced to make a tent settlement because there is no more space for the newly arrived in halls of deserted factories, in town mosques, and not even in private homes which welcomed those who had come first.

From the beginning of NATO intervention to this day, about 60 thousand Kosovo Albanians have fled to Montenegro. That is how the total number of those who have run away from devastation in the war in Croatia, Bosnia and in Kosovo to the smaller Yugoslav republic reached about 100 thousand. In a state which has just 650 thousand inhabitants, they already form 15 per cent of the domicile population which is most probably the world record and, of course, an enormous burden for the worn out and considerably devastated economy.

Due to the highly strained political situation, for reasons of safety, refugees are accommodated in municipalities with majority Muslim or ethnic Albanian population, that is in Rozaje, Ulcinj and Tuzi near Podgorica. In the first two towns, the number of newcomers has already exceeded the number of the autochtonous inhabitants. In Rozaje, a small town of 12 thousand which is nowadays certainly the busiest Montenegrin place since the beginning of the attacks, there are more than 25 thousand!

Town stores are completely vacant, and a few bakeries are having problems with baking bread for such a large number of people. Ulcinj which at peace time has 25 thousand people, with those who have arrived in February and March last year and the new guests, this number exceeded 50 thousand, and overnight it became one of the medium-seized towns in Montenegro. In this southernmost town on Montenegrin coast there is only one collective accommodation at the camping site where there are about one thousand people, and the rest are accommodated in private homes. There is no doubt, the people who are their hosts would also need humanitarian aid.

For Montenegro this is an economic and demographic strike unprecedented in this space.

They are coming from Pec, Istok, Kosovska Mitrovica and the surroundings of these cities. They are arriving by cars, tractors, or on foot. They most frequently have no luggage. The elderly, women, children... The stories they tell are surprisingly similar. Warnings of Serb police, Yugoslav army and various paramilitary to leave their homes or else... Houses set on fire, intimidated or armed Serb neighbours who do not dare, cannot or do not wish to help.

Montenegro has opened its border with Kosovo for them and it intends to persist in this policy. The border crossing in Bozaj with Albania is also kept open for those who wish to go there for fear of possible conflicts in Montenegro or in order to join other members of their families. So far, there have been about six thousand of these. There are also those who have managed to cross this border illegally.

Pressured by numerous internal conflicts and political tensions, Montenegro does not consider these unfortunate people its greatest problem. And indeed, it is manifold - economic, demographic, it concerns security, health. Dragisa Burzan, Montenegrin vice prime minister, states the fact that the international community has so far provided aid worth about five million German marks. It consists of food which arrived mosty from neighbouring Albania.

UNHCR has already emptied its local storehouses, and communications with the central ones in Belgrade have significantly deteriorated. Commodities mostly arrive by ship from Italian to the Bar port. A couple of days ago, relations became very strained between the navy command seated in the small town of Kumbor in the Boka kotorska bay and the civilian administration of the port of Bar. The navy is manifesting aspirations to control the entire sea and water transportation in Montenegro, so inflow of humanitarian aid will surely be aggravated if military authorities continue with rigorous policy of control and even ban of sea transportation between Montenegro and Italy.

The authorities in Montenegro claim that the arrival of Kosovo Albanians has not jeopardised security. From reliable sources we learn that a few days ago two policemen were discharged from duty because they behaved inappropriately and aggressively to the refugees. They are trying to ensure at least peaceful dreams for them.

Teams of Montenegrin physicians are in the field all the time. There is a high risk of an epidemic because sanitation conditions are mostly disastrous in collective accommmodation centes, in factories and sacral buildings. A few days ago taps were installed around Rozaje. Nevertheless, two days ago, four cases of jaundice were registered in Ulcinj. It is a miracle that other contagious diseases have not appeared.

The authorities in Montenegro are trying to launch an international campaign for humanitarian aid, especially by EU. But, judging by reports of foreign media, it seems that public opinion is sensitive to pictures of large groups of banished persons out in the open, in Albania and Macedonia. Little is known about problems of Montenegro in the refigee crisis. And Kosovo Albanians in the smaller federal republic lack - everything. Clothing, food, drugs. A special problem is the fact that for reasons of security, they cannot move to other parts of Montenegro, and remain in these, underdeveloped municipalities in which life is completely distorted. Mr. Burzan says that refugees from Kosovo certainly will not become citizens of Montenegro, which means that Montenegrin authorities are hoping that they will, after pacification of Kosovo, return to their homes or, more probably, to ashes that used to be their homes.

However, for the time being, pacification of this are is not even in sight, and tensions in Montenegro itself are increasing. Federal authorities in Belgrade are trying, especially through the army of Yugoslavia, to isolate and control the smaller republic, and even to draw it into its internal conflicts.

Gordana BOROVIC (AIM)

,