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UNHCR's Refugee Report - July 1999



Thursday
29 July,
1999
           Africa 

           ANGOLA: MORE FLEE TO HUAMBO 29 Jul. 99 ­ The number of
           refugees in central Angola's war-torn Huambo Province has
           reached 250,000, Huambo's governor said yesterday, reports
           Xinhua. Paulo Cassoma said frequent attacks by UNITA rebels
           have caused innocent citizens to flood into
           government-controlled Huambo City and the nearby towns,
           sharply increasing the number of refugees from 170,000 three
           months ago to 250,000 now. Cassama said food in Huambo and
           surrounding towns can only last for one or two weeks. Xinhua
           adds UNHCR in Lusaka said a rising number of Angolan refugees
           have been coming into Zambia's Western Province, escaping
           forced conscription by UINTA rebels. They numbered 50 at last
           count. The Post of Zambia newspaper quoted spokesman
           Dominik Bartsch as saying UNHCR was studying the situation
           closely and officials were taking care of the influx.
[Refugees
           Tops 25,000 in Central Angola + Angolan Refugees Flee Into W.
           Zambia ­ www.xinhua.org]

           SIERRA LEONE: HELP PROMISED 29 Jul. 99 ­ International
           representatives meeting in London yesterday pledged to
provide
           emergency humanitarian aid, to help refugees and assist in
           rebuilding Sierra Leone, reports Reuters. Sierra Leone's
           President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah pledged to consolidate the
           peace accord with rebel forces by building an inclusive
           government and army. Meanwhile BBC News reports the UN
           special representative for Sierra Leone, Francis Okello, said
if a
           fraction of the resources being donated to Kosovo were
diverted
           to Sierra Leone, it would go a long way to solving the
country's
           problems. Okello said the UN was currently receiving less
than
           15% of what it needed for Sierra Leone, echoing a recent
           statement by UNHCR chief Sadako Ogata. Ogata noted refugees
           in Africa were receiving only a fraction of the aid earmarked
for
           Kosovo. [Kabbah pledges to unite Sierra Leone after peace ­
           www.reuters.com; Sierra Leone left out on aid ­
           http://news.bbc.co.uk]

           TANZANIA: MORE CONGOLESE SETTLE, SUFFER 29 Jul. 99 ­
           The tide of refugees chased into western Tanzania is again
rising
           after rebel groups aiming to overthrow President Laurent
Kabila
           refused to signing a peace accord earlier this month, reports
AP.
           "We have been receiving between 250 and 1,500 refugees a
           day,'' said Adan Diis Ilmi, a UN official at Lugufu said.
Since July
           5, nearly 7,400 refugees have arrived at Lugufu, pushing its
           population to 62,000, one-third more than the camp was
           designed to hold. Much to the dismay of Tanzanian
authorities,
           who view the camps as a haven for crime and a drain on
natural
           resources and international aid, Lugufu has taken on the
           appearance of permanence. Besides a flourishing market, the
           camp also has a well-defined bureaucracy to handle ties with
aid
           organisations. Some refugees in the camp have begun building
           mud brick houses. The new influx of Congolese refugees has
           caught aid agencies by surprise. They had hoped to close
           Lugufu soon. Now they are planning a second camp. With the
           new facility, aid agencies now face a budget shortfall of
US$1.5m
           by the end of the year, said an official from the
International
           Federation of the Red Cross. Meanwhile, the recent influx of
           refugees has overwhelmed the camp and its resources. The
           mortality rate of children under five has recently doubled.
Rations
           have been halved. Queues for water and medical care wind
           through the camp. Stress-related illnesses abound. [As
fighting
           goes on, Congolese refugees crowd into Tanzania ­ www.ap.org]

           Americas

           MEXICO: LAST GUATEMALANS RETURN 29 Jul. 99 ­ The last
           Guatemalan refugees left Mexico yesterday for their homeland
           after 17 years in refugee camps and towns near the border,
           saying 'Thank you Mexico,' reports Reuters. "This is the time
for
           a warm hug for those who return from an exile that never
should
           have happened, and a time for hope and good wishes for those
           who decide to stay here," Guatemalan President Alvaro said at
a
           ceremony attended by Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo and
           UNHCR chief Sadako Ogata. Tens of thousands, mostly Mayan
           Indian peasants, fled to Mexico from 1982 to 1984 at the
height
           of Guatemala's 36-year civil war, which claimed some 200,000
           lives. Many were neutral villagers caught up in the
military's
           campaign to wipe out rebel support by burning houses and
killing
           peasants. UNHCR estimates 42,488 refugees have returned to
           Guatemala, while 23,000 have stayed in Mexico under a
           naturalisation programme. Ogata congratulated Guatemala and
           Mexico, saying the refugees were returning home under secure
           conditions. It has not always been easy for Guatemala to
           convince war-traumatised refugees that their country was now
           safe. Life is not easy for the returnees. Many are living
           hardscrabble lives on poor, remote pieces of land, far from
the
           mountain villages where they once lived. Their children, born
in
           exile, miss the schools and relative comfort of Mexico.
           [Guatemalan refugees leave, saying "thank you Mexico" ­
           www.reuters.com]

           Asia

           SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT RETURNS TAMILS 29 Jul. 99 ­ A
           convoy of buses and trucks drove hundreds of Sri Lankan
Tamils
           yesterday back toward villages they were forced to abandon a
           month ago, in the government's first attempt to return
refugees,
           reports AP. The 16-year-old civil conflict has produced an
           estimated 500,000 refugees who live in makeshift camps. Most
           camps are in the north where the war is concentrated. A
convoy
           of 29 buses and four trucks left the northern town of
Vavuniya
           carrying 2,210 Tamils, stuck there since June 25. The
refugees
           will make a three-hour journey to a cluster of villages in
the
           Wanni area, which is under the control of the separatist
Tamil
           rebels. The government says it asked the rebel Liberation
Tigers
           of Tamil Eelam to allow the refugees to return home but
received
           no response and decided to make its own arrangements to
return
           them. There was no immediate comment from the Tamil Tigers.
           The refugees will be taken to the edge of
government-controlled
           territory. [Convoy takes Tamil refugees home ­ www.ap.org]

           EAST TIMOR: DISEASES, MALNUTRITION KILL 100 ­ UN 29
           Jul. 99 ­ At least 100 displaced people in Faulara hamlet,
some
           50km west of Dili, have died of various contagious diseases
and
           malnutrition since January, a UN official said yesterday,
reports
           the Jakarta Post. Yasuhiro Ueki, spokesman for the UN Mission
in
           East Timor (UNAMET), told a media conference that the finding
           was reported by a UNHCR mission who last week visited the
area,
           where 3,600 people are taking shelter. He said malaria and
           tuberculosis were among the diseases attributable to the
           fatalities. A joint team involving UNAMET, UNHCR, the UN
           Emergency Fund, the International Commission for the Red
           Cross and the Indonesian government, had planned to undertake
           a humanitarian mission to the refugee centres in the village
next
           week, Ueki said. [Disease, malnutrition claim lives of 100
East
           Timor refugees ­ www.thejakartapost.com]

           INDONESIA: THOUSANDS MORE VIOLENTLY DISPLACED? 29
           Jul. 99 ­ At least 11 people have been killed on the
Indonesian
           island of Batam, just south of Singapore, in a further
outbreak of
           ethnic violence, reports BBC News. Reports from the island
say
           clashes between rival migrant communities from Sumatra and
           Flores followed a weekend dispute over the running of local
bus
           operations. The violence is said have forced thousands of
people
           from their homes, and closed down schools, shops and
           businesses. [New ethnic clashes hit Indonesia ­
           http://news.bbc.co.uk]

           TAJIKISTAN: 'WARLIKE' UZBEKS 29 Jul. 99 ­ A high-ranking
           Tajik official voiced concern yesterday over the presence of
           about 1,000 people from the neighbouring Uzbekistan, who call
           themselves refugees, reports Itar-Tass. "The further illegal
           presence in eastern Tajikistan of a considerable number of
           Uzbek citizens is creating an inflammable situation and
           threatening not only the peace process in the republic, but
also
           the country's national security," said Amirkul Azimov,
secretary of
           the Security Council. He is also chairman of a commission to
find
           out why the Uzbeks are there. Most of the self-styled
refugees
           are "people aged 18 to 40 who can bear arms", he said, adding
           they are openly speaking about their (Islamic) fundamentalist
           mood and doing special training for fighting in mountains.
           [Tajikistan concerned over warlike refugees from Uzbekistan ­
           www.itar-tass.com]

           Europe

           KOSOVO: DONORS' $2bn PLEDGES EXCEED NEEDS 29 Jul.
           99 ­ The world opened its heart and wallet yesterday to
Kosovo
           refugees who have gone home, with more than 60 nations and
           dozens of organisations offering over US$2bn in humanitarian
           aid, reports AP. Unusually, the funds pledged at the donors
           conference in Brussels far exceeded the immediate need. UN
           agencies had requested US$200m for refugee aid, and US$45m
           to begin paying police and civil servants to restore Kosovo's
           society. The European Union asked for US$319m as the first
           instalment to begin paying for home repair. Those urgent
needs
           totalled US$564m. By the end of the day, pledges at the World
           Bank- and European Union-sponsored conference reached
           US$2.082bn, almost four times the amount sought, said the
           World Bank's vice president for Europe and Central Asia. The
           surplus funds will be applied toward rebuilding more housing
and
           a wider programme to revive Kosovo, to be announced at
           another pledging conference in October. AFP reports donors
           pledged a total of more than US$2bn to rebuild Kosovo,
including
           at least 245 million dollars in emergency funds over the next
five
           months to see returning refugees through the winter. Kyodo
           reports Japan pledged to provide a further US$20m to help
           refugees returning to Kosovo, including US$16m to UNHCR.
           [International donors pledge dlrs 2 billion to help Kosovo ­
           www.ap.org; Two billion dollars pledged for Kosovo ­
           www.afp.com; Japan pledges total of 220 mil. dlrs for Kosovo
­
           www.kyodo.co.jp]

           KOSOVO: INFORMATION CHALLENGE 29 Jul. 99 ­ An urgent
           challenge now facing the international community in Kosovo is
to
           provide credible information about what the United Nations
           Mission in Kosovo, the NATO-led military force and the
           international aid agencies are up to, says Edward Girardet,
editor
           of Crosslines Global Report and a co-founder of Media Action
           International, in an op-ed for the International Herald
Tribune.
           International broadcasters such as Deutsche Welle, the BBC
and
           Voice of America are providing Kosovars (among them nearly
           650,000 returning refugees) with conventional news coverage,
           but there is little local humanitarian or needs-based
information.
           What is urgently needed is reliable news-you-can-use produced
           by independent journalists to help people better understand
the
           mandates of the international organisations, particularly
with
           regard to security and civil administration. Humanitarian
radio
           broadcasts aimed at Kosovan refugees were set up last April
in
           Albania and later in Macedonia by Media Action International,
           operating with local partners. Produced on an editorially
           independent basis by local and expatriate journalists, these
daily
           half-hour programs are still being broadcast on more than a
           dozen private and state stations. Now that most refugees have
           returned, however, the emphasis needs to be on Kosovo.
           Initiatives are being supported by UNHCR, the British
government
           and other donors.[Rehabilitating Local Media Is the Way ­
           www.iht.com]

           ITALY: MORE KOSOVO GYPSIES ARRIVE 29 Jul. 99 ­ A total of
           889 Gypsies, more than half of them children, arrived at the
           Italian port of Brindisi yesterday, having crossed the
Adriatic Sea
           from Montenegro on a fishing boat, port officials said,
reports
           AFP. The latest arrivals bring to more than 2,000 the number
of
           Gypsies who have arrived in Brindisi since the beginning of
July.
           The latest group totalled 889, including 454 children and 242
           women. They said they had fled Kosovo fearing reprisals from
           ethnic Albanians who accused them of collaborating with
Serbia.
           More than half of Kosovo's 120,000-150,000 Gypsy population
           has fled since mid-June, fearing reprisals from Kosovan
           Albanians, according to the Congressional Party of Roms,
which
           represents the community. Italy has decided not to give
refugee
           status to new arrivals from Kosovo and will treat them as
illegal
           immigrants who will face eventual expulsion. Meanwhile AP
           reports a five-year-old Gypsy girl from Kosovo who was dumped
           into the sea as she was trying to reach Italy with her family
was in
           good condition yesterday, hospital officials in Otranto said.
It is
           not unusual that smugglers, fearing arrest by Italian sea
police,
           suddenly abandon their charges near the coast or force them
           into the sea. [Hundreds of Kosovo Gypsy refugees arrive in
Italy
           ­ www.afp.com; Roma girl from Kosovo who was dumped into sea
           is recovering ashore ­ www.ap.org]

           BRITAIN: CZECH GYPSIES INCREASE 29 Jul. 99 ­ The number
           of Romanies from the Czech Republic seeking asylum in Britain
           reached a record last month, the British embassy said
yesterday,
           prompting London to consider reimposing visas for all Czech
           nationals, reports AFP. A total of 143 gypsies applied for
asylum
           in the United Kingdom during June, bringing the number to 588
           this year, (Czech government) spokesman Zbynek Havranek
           said, adding that only one application was allowed per
family. "If
           there a new increase in the number, the danger of a
restoration
           of a visa requirement for Czechs will be equally higher," he
said.
           The number of asylum-seekers is significantly up on last
year. In
           the whole of 1998, 512 Czech citizens ­ usually gypsies ­
sought
           asylum in Britain, the spokesman said. In late 1998, an
influx of
           Romanies from Slovakia led Britain to demand visas for that
           country. Britain, Ireland, Finland and Norway have recently
           restored the visa regime with Slovakia for the same reason,
           describing asylum seekers from there as "economic refugees."
           [Czech gypsies queue for asylum in Britain ­ www.ap.org]

           Middle East

           LEBANON: MORE FAMILIES EXPELLED ­ HRW 29 Jul. 99 ­ A
           leading human rights organisation said today civilian
expulsions
           from Israeli-controlled territory in southern Lebanon have
           increased, often to punish the families of men regarded as
           security threats, reports the Washington Post. Human Rights
           Watch described a sharp increase in sudden, unannounced
           expulsions of men, women, children and the elderly from their
           homes in the zone of southern Lebanon that Israel has
controlled
           for two decades. Hundreds of people have been thrown out of
           their homes since 1985 "in a summary, arbitrary and often
cruel
           manner," deprived of their possessions and usually their
           livelihoods, the group said. The expulsions are generally
carried
           out by the South Lebanon Army, a Lebanese militia trained,
           armed, financed and commanded by Israel. Many of those
           evicted have refused to cooperate with the militia or are
           suspected of collaborating with the Islamic guerrillas of
Hezbollah.
           Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said
           Israel bears ultimate responsibility for the actions of the
South
           Lebanon Army. The Independent adds Israel's campaign of
           family expulsions is now so rapid that even human rights
groups
           cannot keep pace with it. [Israel Criticized for S. Lebanon
           Expulsions ­ www.washingtonpost.com; Israeli purge of
families
           accelerates drives out South Lebanese ­
           www.independent.co.uk]

           Global

           NOTES 29 Jul. 99 ­ PANA reports Democratic Republic of Congo
           President Laurent Kabila has vehemently denied reports that
he
           intended to seek political asylum in South Africa or that he
was
           losing the war in his country. Reuters reports a third Cuban
           athlete at the Pan American Games has approached Canadian
           authorities seeking asylum, the government said yesterday.
The
           Globe and Mail reports Chinese refugee claimants at the
centre
           of a human-smuggling investigation revolted yesterday after a
           week in Canada locked up in a military gymnasium under police
           watch.

           More on September 1