By Cpl. Jean-Philippe Lavigne
First published in
SFOR Informer#123, October 3, 2001

The Turkish CIMIC Area of Responsibility covers three municipalities: Zenica, Zavidovici, Vares and a part of Teslic. Two essential concepts guide their action: battalion engineers are directly involved in all building work; also, every soldier takes a voluntary part in project funding.

Teslic - Lost in the middle of nowhere, Tomici village is separated in two parts by the Velika Usora River (Big Usora). The region was heavily affected as fighting during the war lasted for four and a half months in a 1992. The road is still in bad condition and most of the houses have not been reconstructed. Fifty-eight Bosnian-Serbs already live in this village and more than 72 are expected to come back in the coming month. Under 1st Lt. Besim Zengin’s orders, Turkish battalion engineers set up six bridge supports in the river. “We intend to do the maximum by ourselves,” explains Capt. Gürbüz Efe, information officer.
“That’s the way we act. It’s our concept. The bridge’s foundations were poured by our engineers and steel plates come directly from BH Steel factory, which accommodates the Turkish battalion in Zenica.”
In fact, The Turkish battalion funded Tomici Bridge in the amount of 30,000 KM. Each soldier voluntarily offers a part of his income to the community. “It’s a Turkish tradition,” explains Efe. “We call it Imece: citizens participate in the life of the society by giving financial or physical help.” Each month 20,000 KM is collected and re-invested in BiH, in agreement with MND-N and different governmental and non-governmental organisations. “Our action essentially takes place in the field,” explains Maj. Sezai Büyükdag, CIMIC commander. “We are in contact with the local population. We can identify their needs, we feel close to them, we share a part of our history.”
Zavidovici - Different reality, same concepts. Lt. Nehid Sahin’s team drives to Lovnica village in Zavidovici municipality. Twenty-three families live in this village, about 100 returnees, essentially Bosniacs and Bosnian-Croats, from Zepce, Doboj, Teslic and Modrica. It’s a sensitive zone. As a result of the Sept. 17 decision by Wolgang Petritsch, the High Representative, 18 villages from Maglaj and Zavidovici municipalities are now joined to Zepce municipality. Asim Bajramovic, 70, welcomes the team. He spent all his life in this village and is proud of having reconstructed his and his children’s houses with his own hands.
One of his daughters lives in California and his son owns the village’s market. His two grandchildren, Haris and Alisa, both go to Lovnica school, Prva Osnova Skola, rebuilt by Turkish CIMIC with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) support of $100,000. Every day, 40 children have the opportunity to go to school. “We provide the school materials, pens, books, bags and medical assistance,” says Sahin.
Located in the Zavidovici Municipality building, the CIMIC house once a week collects complaints and requirements from the community. “They mostly need financial help, medical care, information, as well as roads, bridges, communication lines,” observes Sahin. “We try to be sure that they don’t feel abandoned, isolated.” On Zavidovici hill, Turkish engineers actually built a 3-kilometre road they funded for 45,000 KM. The Road leads to Vucujak where 80 houses will be constructed.
Zenica - Whatever the place or the community, Turkish CIMIC brings life where it no longer exists. That means boosting the economy and agriculture in remote places, as well as encouraging activities in big cities. In this way, Turkish CIMIC replanted 900 trees in Zenica Turkish Park, in the middle of which the Turkish Fountain Cesmesi has been reconstructed. Because religious places are essential in bringing back life, especially in BiH, the facilities of the Orthodox church Hram Rodjenie Presvete Bogorodice, established in 1885, and Garsi Mosque Islamic centre, heritage from Ottoman Empire and the oldest Mosque in Zenica, were both rebuilt by Turkish CIMIC.
Nevertheless, what preoccupies Turkish CIMIC the most is the fate and the difficult living conditions of the returnees and displaced persons. According to the social activity service, at the end of May, 84 percent of displaced persons lived on private properties. Their biggest problem is certainly the implementation of property laws, according to an article in the July 17 Jutarnje Novine.
The municipality expels 100 to 150 families per month; most of them are displaced persons. Before evictions, competent services evaluate the possibilities of return of those families to their pre-war homes. If return is impossible, alternative housing is proposed in one of the 14 collective centres of this municipality. Only 20 percent of the families agree to living in such a centre. During the last eight months, 892 of them left Zenica. Those refusing alternative housing manage to find a place to live by themselves. “We are quite a small team, but we work hard,” observes Maj. Sezai Büyükdag. “Even when our financial capacities are not sufficient, we try to help. There is always something to do. Despite all the difficulties, I can feel that people in this country are very joyful. It’s an inestimable force.”

Related links:
Nations of SFOR: Turkey
CIMIC
Humanitarian Aid

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