By 1st Lt. Philippe Mouret
First published in
SFOR Informer#123, October 3, 2001
On Sept. 27, Mr. Werner Blatter, Chief of Mission
in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR CoM), and Maj. Gen. François de Goësbriand,
DCOMSFOR, visited Canton 10 to inspect the situation of returnees.
They met the representatives of local communities and organisations
operating in the area.
Canton 10 - The visit began with a meeting with
representatives from the area's main organisations, who explained
the situation in Canton 10. Insecurity in this canton, which lies
in the southern end of Krajina, remains higher than in others.
This is the consequence of the strong turnover of the population
they underwent during the war in this area, in particular during
the Croatian offensives of 1995. Krajina is an area straddling
BiH and Croatia, mainly inhabited by Bosnian-Serbs. It was the
former border between the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires.
Bosnian-Serbs, which represented 70 percent of the population
in 1991, now find themselves in the minority.
Drvar's name comes from the word Drvo, which means wood. Numerous
logging companies are settled in the area. According to Nikola
Iordanov, head field officer of the Organisation for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE): "Employment in logging
companies is reserved to Bosnian-Croats, which creates many problems."
Indeed, unemployment reaches 60 percent in the area. So, Bosnian-Serbs
must appeal to subsistence agriculture. Blatter insists on the
obligation of the authorities to impose non-discrimination in
employment. It led him to approach local courts with the problem
of their lack of independence from political powers. For Canadian
Maj. Steve Kwistra, senior liaison officer for Civil-Military
Co-operation (CIMIC): "The situation can not be totally sure
and stabilised without a total restoring of the rule of law."
Because of returns, Kwistra considers that this "ethnic"
group will again become the majority in 2002. De Goësbriand
considers that "the action of SFOR in the north of Canton
10 is necessary if we don't want the tensions that existed in
the past to re-appear."
After the meeting, UNHCR CoM and DCOMSFOR visited three return
sites of Canton 10.
Returnees' situation
Drvar - The first Bosnian-Serb return to Drvar occurred in late
1997 under very difficult conditions. Drvar came to the forefront
of the news after the 1998 riot and 1999 beatings. The returnee
community represents over 50 percent of the current population
of the municipality. However, the political/economic powers remain
in the hands of Demo-Croat Union (HDZ). In 2000, International
Rescue Committee (IRC), European Community Humanitarian Office
(ECHO) and European Commission (EC) co-operated in reconstruction.
UNHCR funded the connection of the buildings to the electricity
network.
Bosansko Grahovo - With over 2,500 returns, the Bosnian-Serb returnees
have had "official" control over the Municipality since
the November 1997 elections. The economy, however, remains controlled
by HDZ. The majority of Bosansko Grahovo town and municipality
has been destroyed. Many returnees still live in destroyed properties.
Bosansko Grahovo had security problems when explosives destroyed
the school of Crni Lug reconstructed by the Norwegian Rescue Committee
(NRC) in April 2001. The Norwegian Government has recently decided
to reconstruct the school.
Sajkovic - Approximately 160 Bosnian-Serbs have returned to Livno
Valley villages. While their major need is reconstruction assistance,
there is also a need for infrastructure and sustainability projects.
This area has major potential for return. The pre-war population
of Bosnian-Serbs in Livno neared 4,000. Sajkovic is a good example
of nine Bosnian-Serb returnee villages in Livno valley. Since
1998, 27 families have returned.
Property law
These massive returns do not occur without creating problems.
Ivan Cikojeviv, minister of Labour, Health and Social Welfare
of Displaced Persons (DP) of Canton 10, explains that, "Many
returnees don't register because they are not sure that they will
remain." Also, it is difficult to estimate their needs. The
problem of the identification of property rights arises as well.
The Property Law Implementation Plan (PLIP) was established for
that purpose. It should allow the population to settle in its
pre-war home and to solve the problems of double occupancy. Blatter
insists on the fact that "many returns took place. [But],
there is still not enough reconstruction. First concern of UNHCR
goes to the persons who have been waiting for a long time for
a flat."
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