Refugees and displaced persons

Returns proceed at a slow pace

The number of people in Bosnia returning to their pre-war homes over the first seven months of 1998 was far below the expectations, especially as far as minorities are concerned. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had hoped that 50,000 minority people would return home, but the figure was about one tenth of that, with only 5,204 minorities returning to the Federation and 859 to the Republika Srpska. This summer, there was an increase in the pace of repatriation of refugees from abroad ­ mainly from Germany and Switzerland. According to the UNHCR 25,000 came back over the month of August. Unfortunately, many of the refugees returning from abroad become internally displaced because they can't go back to their pre-war home.

The pace of returns is expected to pick up towards the end of the year as a large number of housing reconstruction projects launched in the spring are completed. Today it is still difficult to make a precise assessment of the European Commission-financed return programme launched in 1998 because the non-governmental organisation projects which make up the programme are still underway. Most of those which started in the spring will last for between eight to 18 months.

Identifying the families whose homes are to be rebuilt is a lengthy process. Equally long-drawn out are discussions and negotiations with the municipalities, who have to be involved at every stage of the process. The return, and in particular the return of the minorities, is not something which can be improvised.

The projects which have the most chance of succeeding are those which have been carefully thought out and prepared. The most efficient non-governmental organisations are those who carry out in-depth ground work aimed at winning the confidence of the different parties. The reconstruction of houses and the reinstallation of families is in some way the home straight after a long haul.

Freeing up housing space in Gorazde town

In November 1997, Gorazde was recognized as " Open City " by the UNHCR, paving the way for the return of the Serb minority. Ten thousand Serbs fled the region during the 1992-1995 war. But the town's population is growing. Before the war it had 37, 000 inhabitants, of which three quarters were Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims) and one quarter Serbs. Now the population count stands at 39,000, of which 99 percent are Bosniacs. That includes 17.000 displaced persons from the Drina Valley (Eastern Republika Srpska), like Foca, Visegrad, Rogatica and Cajnice. The infrastructure of Gorazde, which was under siege for four years was severely damaged. The situation is very critical from the housing point of view because of the displaced persons and refugees starting to come back from abroad.

The European Commission has given considerable support to help reconstruct housing and infrastructure in Gorazde, which remained unsafe for a long time because of its particular geographical situation. Freedom of movement was a real problem for Gorazde. It is linked to the main Federation territory by a narrow corridor, defined under the Dayton Peace Accord. Until recently, the stoning of vehicles bearing Federation licence plates passing through Rogatica (RS) was a common occurrence. This forced people to use the long, narrow road through the corridor to reach Sarajevo, and that road is impossible to use in winter time. The situation has much improved recently with the introduction of the new common car licence plates.

One rebuilt house means two returning families

According to the UNHCR, the number of Bosnian Serbs visiting Gorazde and expressing their interest in returning is on the increase. That is a positive sign and it is expected that the number of actual minority returns will increase over the coming months. But it is difficult to work on minority return to Gorazde without finding a solution for the very important number of displaced Bosniacs still living in Gorazde, and who have little prospect of returning to their place of origin now situated in the Republika Srpska.

That is where the International Rescue Committee (IRC), funded by the European Commission, comes in. "Gorazde town is full of displaced people from the surrounding rural areas, because their houses have been destroyed. They occupy appartments left by Serbs who fled or by refugees who are still abroad" explains Alyoscia D'Onofrio, IRC field coordinator.

"We are in the process of rebuilding 225 houses in and around Gorazde town. One rebuilt house means two families who can return, because when people move back into their house, they vacate a place in town for a returning family."

Until now, 120 houses have already been finished, 30 families have already returned, which means that 30 apartments in Gorazde town have been vacated.

Fourteen families have already moved back to these vacated appartments. So the ball is rolling...

"What is very important to achieve in these projects is a good circulation of information," says Alyoscia D'Onofrio. "Once apartments in town have been freed up, the pre-war occupancy right holder needs to know. According to the Federation law, each pre-war occupancy right holder has to re-claim his socially-owned apartment before a certain date (the initial closing date for filing claims was early October, but recently it has been extended for six months). But information on all these legal aspects is very difficult to circulate in the Republika Srpska, where a great many pre-war Federation residents are displaced. Especially in eastern Republika Srpska, there is very strong anti-return propaganda", says D'Onofrio.

Breaking the anti-return propaganda

According to a recent report by the International Crisis Group, pre-war Federation residents now living in RS are not informed and are even actively discouraged from applying to reclaim their homes for fear that even the application will result in their being harassed.

Breaking this propaganda by disseminating neutral information in the Eastern part of RS is the main objective of the legal centres set up by IRC with funding from the UNHCR and ECHO (European Community Humanitarian Office). Five legal centres were set up in October 1997 in Lukavica, Pale, Rogatica, Visegrad and Foca/Srbinje.

The centres help the people to make an informed decision about whether to return, and give overall legal assistance. "80% of the questions asked are about property rights" explains Sjnezana Jokic, who was a Sarajevo lawyer before the war, and is now working in the Pale legal centre.

"The two people who just came out of my office are Serbs who went to see their former apartment in Sarajevo. Both were subject to physical violence from people who are now occupying their homes".

80% of questions related to property issues

The centre tries to convince them that the law is on their side, and that they are legally entitled to reclaim their property. " The most difficult part of our job is to find the energy to encourage these people not to let go. They are afraid and feel powerless. We advise them to go back, and to put pressure on the municipality and the canton ".

More and more people are queueing up at the Pale legal aid centre which is open four hours a day.

"In the beginning, we had only four or five people per day. Today more than 20 people show up. This is a clear sign that people here desperately need practical and neutral information on return procedures and their fundamental rights" says Snjezana.

Combining return and economic development 

The Development Corporation Tuzla (DCT) was set up in order to support in an integrated way the economic development of the Tuzla region.

The GTZ (Deutsche Geschellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) and the Canton Tuzla-Prodrinje took a 50/50 share in the project, under which German and Bosnian experts work together to develop adequate solutions for the reintegration of refugees and displaced people, this successful reintegration depending largely on the economic perspectives, notably business creation and employment.

The European Commission, ­ which since the introduction of its new regulation can forge contracts with bodies at the local level in Bosnia ­ funds the Development Corporation Tuzla (DCT) to a tune of up to ECU 5 million. Half of this budget goes to housing and infrastructure reconstruction, and the other half to activities aimed at job creation.

"Boosting business is a key to the return process" says Wulf Hendrik Goretzky, DCT programme manager. "We offer a wide range of services to local entrepreneurs, from counselling on how to apply for a bank loan in a professional manner to seeking cooperation exchanges with West European entrepreneurs. Through a micro-grant scheme, we can also help businesses to start up and existing businesses to expand." In early September, DCT organised a visit to Tuzla with representatives of 35 German companies from sectors as diverse as construction, wood, food, metal and trade. Each German company carried out 10 to 12 interviews with local businesses during a trade fair at Hotel Tuzla.

"Useful contacts were taken and even a few pre-contracts were signed" says Mr Goretzky. "Foreign entrepreneurs are still reluctant to invest in Bosnia because they are not well informed. They think the war is still going on here. The Germans who took part in this business trip now know that there are economic activities in and around Tuzla, that there definitely are qualified people with entrepreneurial spirit" he says.

DCT also organises seminars on management and technical issues targeted at returnees and internally displaced people as well as the local economic community. The idea is to help local entrepreneurs improve their organisation, their finance and the service to their clients. In August, seminars were organised on marketing, and in a more specific area, on maintenance of agricultural machinery.

Focus on Tuzla

Tuzla was recognised as "Open City" on 17 August 1997, although it had been open by definition for much longer, since minorities (Serbs and Croats) lived in Tuzla all through the war. The city has a very high concentration of displaced people (30% of the population), and the present population figure is much higher than before the war. Most of the displaced persons are from Eastern Republika Srpska, where they can't return at present. Many refugees coming back from the EU also end up in Tuzla because the conditions for their return to their pre-war homes are not yet met. Consequently, the situation is very critical because of the lack of housing and employment opportunities. Social tensions are created by different levels of support given by the international community to refugees, internally displaced people and the local population.

Return of qualified people

Bringing doctors back

Bosnian doctors returning from EU countries will soon join the medical team of the Jezerski "ambulanta" (health center) which was reopened in September. Reconstruction works and equipment were supervised by IOM (International organisation for Migration) with EC funding. More than 8,000 people, mainly women and children, will benefit from its medical service. The first doctor, a GP with a specialisation in cardiology, will return from Sweden in November to work and live at the Jezerski ambulanta. The EC also supports the IOM Entrepreneurial Support Fund, an initiative to assist 40 Bosnians to establish their own enterprises. This project is aimed at returning refugees from EU member states as well Bosnians who stayed in Bosnia during the war.

Europe for BiH
Quarterly newsletters published by the European Commission on its actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina
No 5, November 1998

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