Date: Wed, 16 Aug 95 15:47:54 EDT
From: incident@vita.org (Emergency Information Administrator)
Subject: Former Yugoslavia: Civil OFDA-06
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
FORMER YUGOSLAVIA - Civil Strife
Situation Report #6, Fiscal Year (FY) 1995 August 15, 1995
Note: The last BHR/OFDA situation report was dated August 4, 1995.
Background
Fighting has intensified throughout Bosnia Herzegovina (B-H) in recent
months. The Bosnian Serb Army (BSA) stepped up its shelling of Sarajevo,
halting all humanitarian airlifts and curtailing most of the
humanitarian convoys trying to supply the city. The U.N. Protection
Forces (UNPROFOR) and the U.N. headquarters in Sarajevo also came under
rocket attack by the BSA. In mid-June, the Bosnian Government Army
(BiH) launched an offensive against the BSA in an effort to break the
stranglehold on Sarajevo. In July, the BSA forcibly overran the Muslim-
populated eastern enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa, resulting in
approximately 40,000 displaced persons, most of whom fled to Tuzla and
Zenica. Elsewhere in B-H, the BSA, the Croatian Serb Army from the
Krajina region of Croatia, and militia loyal to renegade Muslim leader
Fikret Abdic began a coordinated attack on the BiH-defended Bihac pocket
in northwest B-H. This action prompted the joint attack by the Croatian
Armed Forces (HV) and Bosnian-Croat militia (HVO) against Serb-
controlled territory in western B-H to alleviate pressure on the Bihac
pocket.
On August 4, the HV launched an offensive against Krajina Serb-
controlled territory of Croatia situated along Bosnia's border that
significantly changed the strategic balance in the war. The Croatian
takeover of the Krajina has resulted in a dramatic increase in
humanitarian needs throughout the region when an estimated 150,000-
200,000 Krajina Serbs fled their homes and moved toward northern B-H and
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). In addition, UNHCR estimates
that 30,000 non-Serbs have been forced from their homes in Serb-held
areas such as Banja Luka and in eastern Slavonia, the U.N. Protected
Area in eastern Croatia.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the lead U.N. agency
providing humanitarian assistance in the former Yugoslavia. Units of
UNPROFOR are responsible for escorting UNHCR relief convoys in B-H. The
U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP) coordinates food aid contributions for
beneficiaries throughout the region. The International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) carries out relief activities, as well as programs
related to detainees, missing persons, and family tracing activities.
Many international and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
operating in the region also make a significant contribution to the
coordinated relief effort.
Numbers Affected
According to the U.N. Updated Consolidated Interagency Appeal for the
former Yugoslavia issued in late May 1995, the beneficiary population
throughout the region decreased from 2.27 million to 2.1 million.
However, UNHCR noted in early July that in practice, food distribution
reaches approximately 3.5 million people in the region. In addition,
recent population movements from the eastern enclaves in B-H and the
former Krajina region of Croatia have increased the beneficiary
population requiring assistance.
Total U.S. Government (USG) Assistance
FY 1991-1995 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$953,806,546
Current Situation
The political, military, and humanitarian situation is changing rapidly
throughout the region. On August 4, the war entered a new phase when
the Croatian military attacked the Serb-controlled region of Krajina,
retaking the entire area within 5 days. As a result of the offensive,
UNHCR estimates that 150,000-200,000 Krajina Serbs fled their homes,
which marks the largest and swiftest mass exodus since the conflict in
the former Yugoslavia began. Among the people who fled their homes, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimates that 120,000
have already arrived in Serbia and Montenegro. Approximately 50,000 are
believed to be spread across northern Bosnia in various states of
transit, particularly in the Banja Luka and Bijelina areas. UNHCR and
ICRC are coordinating the provision of immediate humanitarian relief
items (food, medicine, and sanitation supplies) to the unsettled
refugees. UNHCR and ICRC have begun conducting land and air deliveries
of relief assistance to the refugees and displaced persons (DPs) in
northeastern B-H, mainly via Belgrade. Security and clearances
permitting, ICRC is also attempting to airlift urgently needed supplies
from Belgrade to Banja Luka. Access to the refugees in Banja Luka and
northern B-H remains difficult due to road congestion, damaged
infrastructure, and the precarious security situation. Since August 9,
BHR/OFDA and the Department of Defense's Office of Humanitarian and
Refugee Affairs (DOD/HRA) has provided 345,000 humanitarian daily
rations (HDRs) to ICRC for distribution to the refugees from Krajina.
On August 9 and 11 respectively, BHR/OFDA's Disaster Assistance Response
Team based in Zagreb (DART/Zagreb) dispatched personnel to Knin (the
former Krajina Serb self-proclaimed capital) and Bihac to conduct
initial assessments of the humanitarian conditions in the aftermath of
the HV offensive. Knin suffered minimal structural damage and was
nearly empty since most of its population fled the HV advance. In
Bihac, the Muslim population had suffered from a lack of sufficient food
supply in the past months.
In July, the eastern enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa were captured and
"ethnically cleansed" by the BSA, forcing approximately 40,000 women,
children, and elderly to seek refuge in the Bosnian Government
controlled towns of Tuzla and Zenica. Fortunately, pre-positioned food
and relief supplies were available for this influx of newly displaced
persons (DPs). UNHCR and several NGOs continue to provide food,
shelter, and medical care to these DPs and have already begun work on
providing more long-term shelter and assistance before the onset of
winter.
In response to this new influx of refugees into northern B-H and Serbia,
the USG has provided HDRs, water storage equipment, wool blankets,
health kits, and increased funding to NGOs to address the needs of this
newly displaced population.
Political/Military Situation
On August 4-7, the Croatian offensive took nearly all of the Krajina
region, which had been considered a United Nations Protected Area since
the U.N. brokered a cessation of hostilities agreement between the HV
and the Krajina Serb forces in early 1992. The defeat of the Krajina
Serbs has led to increased fighting in Bosnia; both the BiH and the BSA
are trying to increase their territorial control as the strategic
balance of the war has significantly changed. As many as 20,000
soldiers are reported among the estimated 150,000-200,000 Krajina
refugees.
This recent activity marks the most significant military intervention by
the Croatian military since May 1 when several thousand Croatian Army
forces recaptured Serb-held areas of UNPA West in the Western Slavonia
region of Croatia. In retaliation to the attack, Croatian Serb forces
launched rockets on Zagreb on May 2 and May 3, killing at least 6 and
wounding an estimated 200 civilians in the Croatian capital.
Relief Efforts
To meet the needs of the new refugees arriving from the Krajina, UNHCR,
ICRC, international donors, and NGOS are organizing land convoys and
cargo flights to transport supplies from U.N. and other donor warehouses
in the region to the refugees and DPs. On August 11-15, UNHCR airlifted
376 MT of food and medical equipment from Ancona, Italy to Belgrade, for
subsequent ground transport to refugees.
The humanitarian crisis in B-H is characterized not by a lack of food or
supplies, but by a lack of access. Convoys delivering food and supplies
to destinations that must transit Serb-controlled territory are subject
to attack or denied safe passage by the warring sides. UNHCR continues
to supply towns in central B-H where convoys do not have to transit
Bosnian Serb controlled territory. However, a recent decrease in donor
support for UNHCR trucking costs has led to a reduction in UNHCR land
convoy deliveries. Sufficient quantities of food and relief supplies
are stocked in UNHCR warehouses for distribution to the vulnerable
populations in the worst affected areas.
UNHCR has recently revised its monthly distribution targets to consist
of approximately 16,000 MT of food and 178 MT of non-food relief
commodities (primarily blankets, plastic sheeting,
water containers, hygiene items, and medical supplies) delivered by
humanitarian convoys. Despite increased access to central Bosnia, only
a minimal number of convoys have reached other areas, such as Gorazde
and Sarajevo. Due to the increasingly precarious security situation,
UNHCR has dramatically reduced its staff in its offices in several areas
of B-H.
Situation by Region
Eastern Enclaves: With the fall and ethnic cleansing of Srebrenica and
Zepa, the beneficiary population has been moved to displaced settlement
areas in Tuzla and Zenica. BiH soldiers and young males detained by the
invading BSA forces are reportedly held in detention camps in nearby
Serb-controlled towns or are missing. On August 9, the U.S. Ambassador
to the U.N., Madeleine Albright, announced that the U.S. has photos of
mass graves near Srebrenica and accused the BSA of executing 2,000-2,700
Bosnian Muslim men.
During the last week of July, two UNHCR convoys carrying approximately
240 tons of food arrived in Gorazde. These were the first convoys to
arrive in more than a month. The 65,000 Muslim residents of Gorazde are
suffering from acute shortages of food, medicine, and other supplies.
Only a limited number of residents in the town have access to running
water or electricity.
Central Bosnia: Conditions in central B-H are better than other parts
of the country due to regular access of humanitarian deliveries, and
some commercial traffic, to vulnerable populations. The city of Tuzla's
population has swelled to over 250,000, not counting the recently
arrived DPs that fled from Srebrenica. Approximately 20,000 of these DPs
are housed in collective centers and about 3,000 have moved in with
friends and relatives in private homes. As many as 5,500 women, children
and elderly DPs remain in makeshift shelters at the Tuzla airport where
UNHCR and NGOs are providing them food, shelter, and sanitation
facilities.
Expelled and wounded residents of Zepa were taken by bus to Sarajevo or
to the central Bosnian town of Kladanj for onward movement to reception
centers in Zenica. UNHCR is identifying housing and shelters in Zenica
for evacuees from Zepa and Srebrenica. Additional food and relief
supplies are also being delivered to Zenica for the new DPs. The
estimated 611,000 beneficiaries living in Zenica are still dependent on
international food assistance.
Sarajevo: The Sarajevo airlift of humanitarian relief supplies has not
resumed since April 8 when a U.S. cargo aircraft was hit several times
by small arms fire. To further strangle the city, the supply of natural
gas, electricity, and water has been cut by the Bosnian Serbs since the
end of May. The 10 megawatt electric transmission cable, funded by the
Soros Foundation and BHR/OFDA, provides power on a priority basis to
operate the water pumping stations, hospitals, and government
facilities.
Currently, the Bosnian Serb authorities are denying adequate convoy
access to Bosnian Muslim areas of Sarajevo. Rather than completely deny
access to Sarajevo, the Bosnian Serb authorities have granted convoy
clearance only via a dangerous route subject to Serb sniping.
Bihac: The recent Croatian offensive resulted in the liberation of the
Bihac pocket, whose 180,000 residents had been denied adequate food and
relief supplies during the past year. Less than 16 percent of food
assistance needs were met in Bihac, during the past year, leaving the
vulnerable population in the enclave at risk. Several relief convoys
have been able to reach the area in the past few days.
In Miholjski, 10 km south of Vojnic in Croatia, 20,000 Muslim refugees
(supporters of rebel Muslim leader Fikret Abdic) are stranded without a
viable place to settle permanently. On August 13-14, UNHCR and ICRC
delivered relief items to these stranded refugees, including food,
blankets, jerry cans, water tanks, and sanitation materials.
U.S. Government (USG) Assistance
So far in FY 1995, the USG has provided over $173 million for
humanitarian programs in the former Yugoslavia through USAID, Department
of State, and Department of Defense programs.
USAID/BHR/OFDA Assistance
During FY 1995 to date, USAID/BHR/OFDA has provided over $37 million to
implement 47 humanitarian relief programs implemented by 19 NGOs in the
Former Yugoslavia. BHR/OFDA continues to address the needs of
vulnerable groups throughout the region through the funding of NGO
projects in emergency feeding programs, health care, winterization
programs, water and sanitation, and seeds and tools distribution.
BHR/OFDA obligated funding includes the following:
* International Rescue Committee umbrella grant for relief programs
in B-H.
* Action Internationale Contre La Faim (AICF)/USA spring seeds
distribution in B-H, provision of hot meals for vulnerable persons
in Mostar and Zenica, emergency supplemental food distribution in
Bihac, and assistance to collective centers in Sarajevo.
* American Red Cross food distribution activities in B-H.
* Brother's Brother feeding programs for displaced persons in Osijek.
* Catholic Relief Services production and distribution of underwear
in B-H, hospital sanitation in Kosovo, and solid waste collection,
spring seeds distribution, and senior citizen assistance activities
in Sarajevo.
* Equilibre transport of relief assistance in B-H.
* Feed the Children/UK food distribution in B-H.
* International Medical Corps immunization services in central B-H.
* Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)/Belgium health and winterization
activities in the eastern enclaves.
* Mercy Corps International medical, agricultural, and winterization
programs in Kosovo.
* The Open Society Institute emergency electricity services in
Sarajevo.
* Premiere Urgence for food distribution to the elderly in Mostar.
* St. David's Relief livestock support activities in central B-H.
* World Health Organization nutritional study in Sarajevo, Tuzla, and
Zenica.
* Solidarities continued rehabilitation activities and food and
hygiene parcel distribution program.
In addition to its obligated funding, BHR/OFDA is currently in the
process of providing $3.9 million to NGOs to support additional
emergency relief activities.
BHR/OFDA dispatched the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to
Zagreb in December 1992. The DART also operates sub-offices in Split,
Croatia and Sarajevo, B-H. Among its responsibilities, the DART manages
BHR/OFDA's humanitarian assistance programs and monitors the
distribution activities of UNHCR, NGOs, and international donors. In
January 1994, BHR/OFDA's DART in Zagreb established a Rapid Response
Fund (RRF) to enable it to respond as quickly as possible to the
changing humanitarian needs in the former Yugoslavia. Thus far in FY 95,
the DART's RRF has made available $900,000 to fund small-scale,
emergency relief activities carried out by international and local NGOs.
The DART also provides assistance in calling forward emergency relief
supplies from BHR/OFDA's permanent stockpile in Leghorn, Italy. To date
in FY 1995, $790,350 worth of emergency stockpile items have been
delivered to the region.
DART Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,598,730
Grants to NGOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32,288,054
DART RRF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$900,000
Transport and Stockpiling
of relief supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,442,350
Total BHR/OFDA FY 1995 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $37,229,134
USAID/BHR/FFP Assistance
In FY 1995 to date, the Office of Food For Peace (BHR/FFP) has provided
126,400 MT of Title II food assistance valued at $58 million to support
emergency food requirements of refugees and internally displaced persons
in the former Yugoslavia.
Through WFP and UNHCR's joint relief efforts, at the beginning of FY
1995, BHR/FFP provided 48,140 MT of Title II assistance ($22.4 million)
to meet the food needs of more than 1.4 million people in B-H during the
winter of 1994-1995. In April 1995, BHR/FFP approved an additional
45,500 MT ($21.2 million) of emergency food for distribution during the
summer and fall of 1995.
In June 1995, BHR/FFP approved a third contribution of 20,000 MT of
wheat flour ($8.9 million) to provide critical stocks for the winter
months. Food is delivered by WFP to UNHCR's warehouses throughout the
region. UNHCR subsequently transports the commodities to each district
where the food is distributed to those in need.
BHR/FFP has provided 6,000 MT of Title II emergency wheat flour ($1.95
million) to CRS for delivery to the bakeries and pasta factories that
support the 400,000 people of the Sarajevo area. BHR/FFP provided the
American Red Cross, as part of the international Red Cross effort in B-
H, with 6,760 MT of Title II emergency food ($3.6 million) to support
the soup kitchens in Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Zenica targeted at the elderly
and the homebound who are unable to assist themselves.
Total BHR/FFP FY 1995 (to date). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $57,964,200
ENI Assistance
To date in FY 1995, USAID's Bureau for Europe and the Newly Independent
States (USAID/ENI) has obligated approximately $18 million for
humanitarian and development assistance programs in B-H, including the
Presidential commitment of $10 million for the rehabilitation of
Sarajevo. In addition, ENI has obligated $7,692,000 to humanitarian and
rehabilitation programs in Croatia so far in FY 1995.
Total USAID/ENI FY 95. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25,692,000
State/PRM Assistance
In FY 1995 to date, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population,
Refugees and Migration (PRM) has contributed over $49 million to
humanitarian assistance organizations operating in the former
Yugoslavia. Of this amount, UNHCR has received $28 million and ICRC $12
million. The remaining $9 million was allocated to other international
organizations and NGOs.
Total State/PRM FY 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $49,451,111
DOD/HRA Assistance
Thus far in FY 1995, the Department of Defense's (DOD) Office of
Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs (HRA) has provided $3,395,000 for the
transportation and provision of emergency relief supplies (mainly wool
blankets and Humanitarian Daily Rations) to the former Yugoslavia.
Total DOD/HRA FY 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,395,000
Total BHR/OFDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $37,229,134
Total BHR/FFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $57,964,200
Total USAID/ENI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25,692,000
Total State/PRM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $49,453,111
Total DOD/HRA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,395,000
Total USG FY 1995 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$173,733,445
FY 1991. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,000,000
FY 1992. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $47,362,239
FY 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$343,841,260
FY 1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$387,869,602
FY 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$173,733,445
Total FY 1991-1995 (to date) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$953,806,546
_________________________
Nan Borton
Director
Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Volunteers in Technical Assistance gopher: gopher.vita.org
Disaster Information Center web: www.vita.org
lists: listproc@vita.org
sitreps appeal
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -