Cross-Border Project for Bosnian Croats Return

UNHCR Bulletin

Volume 1, Issue 5 Croatia, 16 June 2000

UNHCR Bulletin 1

Cross-Border Project for Bosnian Croats’ Return

Joint Efforts of UNHCR Osijek,UNHCR Orasje and Norwegian People’s Aid resulted in an intensified reconstruction of houses, enabling actual returns to Bosanska Posavina

In co-operation with the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)Osijek, the UNHCR has been involved in a cross-border project for the return of Bosnian Croats into Posavina area (north-east Bosnia). In late 1999, the NPA got approval for some 97 housing units to be reconstructed in the municipality of Modriča. The NPA has asked UNHCR’s help in identification of beneficiaries. Both UNHCR Orašje and Osijek offered their assistance and interviewing teams were formed in order to find suitable beneficiaries for the project. Excellent cross-border co-operation between the two UNHCR offices, the NPA offices from Osijek, NPA Tuzla Building Team, NPA Brčko and Association for return of Croats to Modriča resulted in signing of some 50 contracts on reconstruction with house owners. Both the reconstruction and returns are already underway in villages of Kužnjaca, Čardak, Garevac and Kladari Gornji. Main warehouse in Čardak was opened in April, supplying these villages with reconstruction materials. Although this was originally designed as self-help project, some exceptions were made for the elderly families where contractors were hired.

Three houses in Kužnjača and seven in Čardak are currently being reconstructed. Works on the remaining houses are to start immediately. In Kužnjača, nine families returned during the past winter. However, together with the newly-arrived, they all joined hands in building and working with the NPA-donated construction material. While awaiting to start living in their pre-war home, some returnees are temporarily staying in containers, even overnight, during the reconstruction works. First returnee to Garevac was also included in the project – he sleeps in his garage.

In Čardak, the NPA has hired a community-development advisor who is using a small container as a temporary makeshift office. His work is aimed at helping the community of returnees to rebuild its social environment, too. He is also engaged in preparing Bosnian Serb displaced persons for Croat returns and to address current problems in the field and to liase with NPA building team and local municipal authorities.

Canadians Help With Food Assistance in Knin Region

While expecting more returnees in 2000 and 2001, Knin region is faced with the lack of food assistance

In mid-May, UNHCR Knin hosted a Canadian Delegation with representatives of the Embassy in Zagreb and members of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) from Ottawa. The visit focused on Croatian Serb returnee families and Bosnian Croat settler families in the villages surrounding the Knin municipality in order to raise awareness of the need for support and assistance in the region.

One of the most pressing problems in the Knin region remains the lack of initial and emergency food assistance. As of September 1999, some 15,000 persons who were beneficiaries of regular food aid from the European Community Humanitarian Organisation (ECHO) food programme, have had to struggle with the cessation of its activities. Former beneficiaries who were cut off from the distribution list include the elderly, the sick, female-headed households and the handicapped.

Additionally, newly arrived returnees without a regular source of income, (those who have yet to access social welfare-assistance, pensions, or receive grants from other income generation projects), continue to require food support. While UNHCR is bracing itself for a larger number of returnees in 2000 / 2001, the required amounts of food assistance are by no means assured!

Recognising the lack of opportunities to generate potential income, and an inability for new returnees to do subsistence farming until the following spring, the Canadian Embassy has expressed its support through a proposed donation of 25,000 Canadian dollars for the distribution of a few hundred six-month food parcels to vulnerable returnee families upon return.

The current project proposal submitted by UNHCR Knin intends to provide food aid to those extremely vulnerable individuals in need of emergency assistance who have no means of supporting themselves. All of the families visited by CIDA had no present source of available income and relied upon subsistence farming. Female members of the household repeatedly expressed the need for flour, yeast and oil in order to make bread to supplement their meagre vegetable diets with carbohydrates.

As a result, a six month food programme proposed is designed to provide food aid in order to create ‘breathing space’ for returnees searching for longer-term solutions such as income generation and crop harvests.

The suggested food assistance for a family for the period of six months would include 60 kg of flour, 6 litres of oil, 3 kg of salt, 12 kg of beans, 12 kg of canned fish/meat and 3 kg of yeast.

Fair distribution to the most needy returnees will be based on harmonised vulnerability criteria. All agencies present in the Knin area will submit a proposed list of beneficiaries in advance, which will be cross-checked by UNHCR Knin who will prepare a final distribution list. Through accurate records kept in the database, UNHCR will co-ordinate with the appropriate agencies and will monitor the distribution to ensure that assistance is rendered accordingly.

UNHCR’s Information Campaign in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

UNHCR information activities for potential returnees

As a result of continued co-operation with the Federal Ministry for Refugees, Displaced Persons and Humanitarian Aid, the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees and UNHCR joint media campaign on voluntary repatriation from FRY to Croatia was conducted in June. Given the interest rate of media and refugees, it was agreed to continue with similar activities in other areas of FRY where refugee concentration is the highest, such as the northern province of Vojvodina.

The campaign provided an updated information with regard to return and post-return period to all those refugees who are exploring return option but are still uncertain due to various factors and promoted organised return, via “white forms procedure” by emphasising its benefits against other ways of return.

One of the goals was also to raise general awareness of the FRY refugee population, as well as of FRY authorities and UNHCR cross-border partners, i.e. non-governmental organisations (NGOs) directly involved in the return process. In addition to this, it was of crucial importance for UNHCR that overall campaign was actively supported by the relevant authorities.

As far as actual implementation of the campaign is concerned, UNHCR elaborated on all major return-related issues. UNHCR was able to respond to all questions raised by refugees, media representatives and authorities. The fact that UNHCR team was accompanied with a selected returnee to Croatia, was also very much appreciated.

Returnee explained his story from the time he filed his application for repatriation, to his present situation - one year after actual return to his own home with his entire family (wife and three children). This personal story was a good example of organised return, as once family received clearance, they returned to their damaged house (repairs were done by an international NGO operating in the area), received returnee status and assistance from UNHCR, implementing partners, NGOs (such as stove and other household items, food assistance as well as a cow and several sheep under income generating scheme). Additionally, UNHCR returned family's tractor from FRY. Children are attending school (bus provided by the Ministry of Education) and their school certificates from FRY were recognised by relevant offices.

Visiting Before Returning

In order to make decision on voluntary return more easily, potential refugees are given a possibility to see and visit their pre-war places of residence. They did so again during June through UNHCR-assisted go-and-see assessment visits. In the first two weeks of June ninety-five refugees came from the Republika Srpska to the area of Sisak, while 20 would-be returnees currently staying in the FRY, visited Benkovac.

An Alternative Upon Return: Staying with Host Family

Following the recently adopted line of de-linkage between accommodation and actual return UNHCR identified those refugees who would be ready to accept alternative accommodation, mainly with host families. By June, there were 396 refugees from FRY who provided new host families. The total of 64 persons in this category can be scheduled for return immediately. Regarding others in the group (80 cases), the Croatian Government’s Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees (ODPR) has agreed for UNHCR and its field partners to provide assistance in verifying and obtaining the host family assurance. UNHCR is rather optimistic and will concentrate its efforts to organise movements for these refugees within two to three weeks. NGO activities in contacting new hosts for those refugees with property problems gave first results and findings.

Three Months After Banja Luka Agreement

Bosnian Croat Association, Serb National Council and Serb Democratic Forum signed a Joint Statement on co-existence

During his latest visit to Banja Luka, Mr. Lovre Pejković, Deputy Minister for Public Works, Construction and Reconstruction and Head of ODPR, stated that three months after Croatia’s Foreign Minister Tonino Picula and the Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik signed a statement on refugee returns, the Croatian Government has created all preconditions for the return of its citizens who would like to return. A recent joint statement of Bosnian Croat refugees/immigrants in Croatia, the Serb National Council and the Serbian Democratic Forum shows that an overall atmosphere has changed on the coexistence in Croatia’s areas of the special state concern. Along these lines, delegation of the Association of Croat Refugees from Bosanska Posavina paid a visit to the UNHCR Office of the Chief of Mission in Zagreb. The meeting focused on several problems related to return to the pre-war Croat-populated area in Bosanska Posavina in Republika Srpska. To provide full support to BiH Croat return to the area, it was agreed with the Association that a list of pre-war inhabitants, who are determined to return, should be provided as soon as possible. According to the representatives of the Bosnian Croat Association, a list of 100-120 families will be shared with the UNHCR by the mid June.

Supporting Returns to Bosanska Posavina

UNHCR mission in Croatia in co-operation with the International Organization for Migrations (IOM) and Bosnian Croat associations continues supporting confidence-building and house-cleaning go-and-see visits to Bosanska Posavina. As of mid-March, Mr. Josip Senjak, a priest determined to assist returnees to the area of ‘Cer’ in Doboj-North, has returned to his ruined parish. His parents joined him soon.

During the past few months, Mr. Senjak managed to clean-up a big yard surrounding the parish building and a well. Together with other future returnees, he is building wooden barracks. These will serve as alternative lodging for returnees while working and cleaning their houses in the villages of Komarica, Mišinci, Dažnica, Gradina and Tunjestala.

Returns at a Glance

Forty-two thousand Croatian Serb citizens have returned from FRY and BiH

Although it would be too early to measure the actual impact of the information campaign in FRY, it is worth mentioning that UNHCR Croatia has already received a feedback information from some of the implementing partners which are operational from both sides of the border. Namely, the Norwegian Rescue Committee (NRC) and the Serb Democratic Forum (SDF) reported an increased number of refugees were approaching their offices in the FRY after the campaign. Regular voluntary repatriation movements continued and in the past ten days with 94 persons returning from the FRY and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) to Croatia. They returned to the areas of Sisak and Knin.

According to the latest data, 42,001 Croatian Serb refugees have so far returned to Croatia from the FRY and BiH. Recent estimates from the field indicate that there are some 20,000 additional unregistered spontaneous returnees from FRY and BiH. Regarding the returns of the Croatian Serb DPs from the Danube region to other parts of Croatia, the number of returnees has reached 31,717, while at the same time, 48-995 Croat DPs returned to the Danube region. Almost 123,000 displaced Croats have returned to their pre-war places of residence in other parts of Croatia, while 35,000 Croats have returned from other countries. In total since the end of 1995 Croatia registered 300,230 returns.

UNHCR Bulletin 1