FM Alert, Vol II, No. 36
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Subject: FM Alert, Vol II, No. 36
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Paulette Layton <[email protected]>
FM Alert, Vol II, No. 36
FM Alert, Vol II, No. 36
September 11, 1998
FMP PUBLISHES SPECIAL REPORT ON TAJIKISTAN
The Forced Migration Projects have published a special report
examining refugee repatriation issues in the Central Asian nation of
Tajikistan. The 77-page report, entitled Tajikistan: Refugee
Reintegration and Conflict Prevention, examines the country's civil
war and the challenges associated with the restoring the peace, in
particular the return of Tajiks who fled to neighboring Afghanistan to
avoid the violence. The report, issued this month, additionally
focuses on the international humanitarian response to the repatriation
effort. Special attention is given to the activities of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe. Publication of the report comes at
a crucial time for the Tajik repatriation effort. Stability in
Tajikistan is tenuous, as underscored by the recent withdrawal of 40
members of the UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan. The UN move was
prompted by the killings of four of its workers. The FMP report can be
obtained free of charge by contacting the FMP by phone at (212)
548-0655, or by electronic mail at <[email protected]>
PEACE PROCESS STALLED IN TAJIKISTAN
A Forced Migration Projects consultant in Dushanbe reports that
political violence is bringing implementation of peace accord
provisions in Tajikistan to a standstill. The political turmoil could
have adverse consequences for tens of thousands of Tajiks, who have
returned from neighboring Afghanistan, possibly leading to new
displacements. The peace process suffered a major setback when the UN
Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) drastically scaled back its
operations in the Central Asian nation. Forty UNMOT personnel,
including 33 military observers, were withdrawn from the field and
temporarily reassigned to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on August 24. The
action came in response to the July murders of four UNMOT
representatives in territory controlled by the United Tajik Opposition
(UTO). There have been no arrests in connection with the UNMOT
killings. The UTO has not commented on the incident. Tajikistan's
political atmosphere was further unsettled on August 27, when the
mayor of the city of Tursunzade was assassinated along with four
bodyguards.
(For additional information consult FM Alert of July 10 and May 1).
INTERNATIONAL INDECISION OVER KOSOVO CRISIS
On September 10 UNHCR's Special Envoy for the former Yugoslavia,
Nicholas Morris, presented the UN Security Council with an assessment
of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the province of Kosovo, FR
Yugoslavia, and delivered a strong message regarding the gravity of
conditions in the region. Mr. Morris had recently returned from the
war-torn province where as many as 300,000 civilians have been
displaced by the conflict between Serbian security forces and ethnic
Albanian separatists. After deliberating over UNHCR's presentation,
the UN Security Council issued a statement expressing its "grave
concern at the severe humanitarian consequences for the civilian
population caused by the fighting and the violations of international
humanitarian law and human rights." UNHCR officials expressed concern
over the lack of a firm international response to the crisis because
current humanitarian efforts in Kosovo are inadequate for displaced
civlians to survive the oncoming winter. Serbian authorities in
Kosovo are establishing 12 relief centers for displaced civilians to
receive food and non-food items but are also insisting on heavy
Serbian police presence. This is likely to deter ethnic Albanians, who
make up the vast majority of those displaced, from accessing the
humanitarian assistance at the centers. While UNHCR field assessments
have indicated that a successful humanitarian effort is dependent on
the international community providing strong security provisions for
displaced civilians, a UNHCR official who participated in today's
Security Council session reported that no mention was made of using
military force to provide security or even how to provide shelter for
the tens of thousands of homeless civilians who are threatened by the
oncoming winter.
(For additional information see FM Alerts of August 28, August 21,
June 26 and June 5).
For more information contact:
The Forced Migration Projects
400 West 59th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10019
tel: (212)548-0655
fax: (212) 548-4676
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.soros.org/migrate.html
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