FIELD REPORT ON
SOME KLINE MUNICIPALITY VILLAGES OF KOSOVA

                                      by Sevdie AHMETI, a Human Rights activist
                                      The Center for the Protection of Woman and Children, Prishtina, Kosova
received Sun, 28 Feb 1999

 
The Center for the Protection of Woman and Children, Prishtina, Kosova

by Sevdie AHMETI, a Human Rights activist

MUNICIPALITY OF KLINE, NORTH WEST OF KOSOVA

SITUATION OF VILLAGES
FIELD REPORT

The assessment was done during November and December 1998, and January and February 1999.

VILLAGE:        BOKSHIQ

By mid December 1998, this village had 374 people back home out of totally 980 before. It had 42 IDPs. Residents usually used the services of the ambulatory in Grabanice village which is destroyed. Population is traumatized. Out of 136 houses, 86 of them are burnt to ashes. Only elder people can travel with minimum problems as the police checkpoints are frequent on the way to Kline. Needs are grave in food, blankets, clothes and mattresses. Water is being used from springs, otherwise water wells are poisoned. This village has 3 checkpoints and laud explosions can be heard over the nights. At short notice, people are ready to leave as the situation is deteriorating. The Dolove - Kpuz road is mined. Gunfire is heard overnight.

VILLAGE:        CEROVIK

By mid February 1999, this village had 1650 people in 151 families back. They live in groups within the houses available partially to live in. Out of total 152 houses of the village, 97 of them are destroyed and 18 of them are damaged. Needs are grave in food, clothing, beds and other supplies. Residents live in fear, shooting goes from time to time. Security is at the lowest level. Population avoids uninhabited homes and fields.

VILLAGE:        CESKOVE

By the end of January 1999, only 8 families are back home. Others are expected to return as soon as they feel secure. Out of the total number of 59  houses, only 11 of them can be inhabited, and 35 are completely destroyed. Needs of the population are in food, shoes, blankets, bedding, winter clothes and heating. After the checking, 68 water wells are contaminated and only 2 of them can be used after they have been cleared. Circulation of the residents is limited. They can move as far as the villages of Jabllanice, Kpuz and Bokshiq. Police shoots at night from their nearby positions from time to time. Villagers are intimidated and they are trapped.

VILLAGE:        CUPEVE

By mid November 1998, this village had 200 people back out of 350 before. It had 45 IDPs. The village is small and it had altogether 20 houses; 16 of them are burnt. Everything around including food, clothes and other supplies are burnt to ashes. Residents live in fear as the VJ presence is huge. VJ visits them everyday.

VILLAGE:        CUPEVE E ULET

By the end of November 1998, this village had 350 people back home out of 430 before. It had 50 IDPs. Most of the residents were suffering from scabies, diarrhea, TB and flu. All of them have psychosomatic problems. The village is situated 7 km. away from Kline, and any need to reach Kline is obstructed by the police. Out of 20 houses, some 90% of them are destroyed. Food usually uses to be collected from Kline, but police makes problems. All animals of the village are gone. Everything is burnt, needs are grave in all kinds. The quality of water wells is uncertain. Fighting is reported at night. Heat cannot be assured, because residents cannot go to the woods as heavy police is present in the area. Population is complaining on the behavior of their Serb neighbors in the neighboring village.

VILLAGE:        DOBERDOL

By late December 1998, this village had 450 people back home out of total 600 before. It has 100 IDPs. Before the offensive the village had 65 houses. Now only 25 of them remain inhabitable. Needs are in food, clothes and other supplies, especially heating, blankets, salt and sugar. Security is at the lowest level. Small shooting appears at nights.

VILLAGE:        DUSH

By the end of January 1999, this village had 200 people and 1 IDP family. The total number of houses is 30, and 12 of them are completely destroyed. As far as living is concerned, all of the houses are damaged in a way. The village has no electricity. Needs of people are in food, shoes, clothing in general, as well as other supplies. Water wells are contaminated, they caused medical problems to the residents. Security in this village is grave. Yugoslav army is stationed nearby, people feel unsafe moving outside the village. They report frequent shooting in the area, especially at night.

VILLAGE:        GLLAREVE

By  mid February 1999, this village has 790 residents returned home and 14 IDPs. Out of 270 houses in total, it has 229 houses destroyed completely. The village seemed like a ghost place and it was abandoned for a long time as the Serb forces sealed off the area. People were refuting in safer villages, but mostly rough in the open. Population is still not completed. Few days ago they got electricity, but there is not any medical personnel, and the health condition is poor, mostly skin infections, upper respiratory, tract infection. All clothes and food supplies have been burnt. Residents need clothes, shoes,  food and other supplies. Population is living in fear because of the close presence of the Serb forces and the every night shooting from police positions nearby. Shooting goes sometimes in the day too. People living near the roadway are frequently harassed.

VILLAGE:        GOLLUBOVC

By the beginning of February 1999, this village had 850 people with 59 families. Now 589 of them are returned, exactly 52 families (350 children). The village has 81 IDPs. Out of 80 houses that it had before, 35 of them are heavily destroyed and 18 damaged. Needs of the population are in food, clothing for adults and children. Water wells are contaminated. Police presence is close in the main road and the circulation is not safe for Kline. Majority of tractors and  50% of livestock is destroyed.

VILLAGE:        GRABANICE

By the beginning of February 1999, this village has only 100 people returned home.  Out of the total number of 150 houses, only 4 of them are not damaged. Most of the houses are destroyed completely. It has no electricity. Supplies are limited, people need shoes, winter clothes, mattresses, and other food supplies urgently. Police is stationed nearby and people feel unsafe moving outside the village. Frequent shooting appears in the area, especially during  the night time. Movement is limited, they can only move in the direction of Kpuz and Gllogjan of Peje. There is no way to move to Kline municipality.

VILLAGE:        GRACANICE E EPERME

By the beginning of December 1998, this village had only 60 people back home out of totally 1500. The local ambulatory is destroyed and it cannot be used in the state it is. Out of 120 houses before the war, now 117 of them are burnt and destroyed in a very severe way. Only 20 houses near the main road are usable. Most of the residents live in the basements. Needs are in food and clothing, including everything for the household. All the things they had before are destroyed and burnt, even food. Police goes often in the village and shooting is reported during the night.

VILLAGE:        GREMNIK

By mid January 1999, this village had 620 people back out of total 1400 residents. It has 6 IDPs. As the village is situated in the main highway, there is heavy police deployed nearby and the residents are not allowed to move easily. Many suffer from diseases and disorders. Before the war, people used to go to Kline for their health checks, now most of them can't go due to police checkpoints. Only elderly, children and women circulate from time to time for emergent needs. Out of totally 142 houses in the village, 85 of them are damaged. Most of the residents live in crowds. This village has 12 Serb families and their houses are intact. Needs are grave in food, sheltering, clothes and other supplies. Police forced one family out of home. Villagers cannot move freely in the village either, due to the 8 police patrols patrolling the village and harassing the residents.

VILLAGE:        GJURGJEVIK

By early November  1998, this village had 500 people who returned back out of totally 1200 residents of the village. It has some 30 IDPs. Population suffers from hyper-tension and disorders. Out of 140 houses, only 13 of them remain intact, 23 of them destroyed and the rest is damaged to a greater degree. Needs are grave in food, clothes and mattresses. Some water wells are poisoned with oil, detergent and dead animals. Population is surrounded by police checkpoints, although there is no police in the village. They face frequent night shooting and are afraid to travel outside the village. The village does not have electricity. There is sizeable police and military presence.

VILLAGE:        JASHANICE

By the beginning of February 1999, this village had the 1200 residents back and 80 IDPs. Access to the village is quite all right. From the total of 350 houses of the village, 280 of them are destroyed and only 120 houses are being inhabited with people. Residents are intimidated, there is a heavy police checkpoint and VJ fires with their weapons on the air to scare the villagers. As the OSCE verifiers come to the village every second day, they make the residents feel more secure. Needs of people are grave in everything.

VILLAGE:        KERNICE

By mid December 1998, this village had 650 people back out of 950 before. Out of 98 houses, 4 of them are inhabitable and others kind of. Most of them live in crowds, two to three families live in one room. Needs are grave in food and everything; only old people can go to collect food. Water wells are suspected for being poisoned and only one water well is being used so far. There are Serb villages close to this village and Serbs are doing `voluntarily the police job' by going frequently to check inside the village if there is any UCK presence. There is shooting overnight and the residence live in fear.

VILLAGE:        KPUZ

By the beginning of February 1999, this village had out of totally 750 inhabitants, only 320 people returned together with 38 IDPs. All the residents would come back if they had security, food supplies, heating, and plastic sheets to cover the burnt roof of their houses. There is a mine area between Kpuz and Dollove village. Health status of the population is poor; before the war people used to go to the ambulatory of Krelan village, but now it is burnt and destroyed. Needs are in medicine, food, clothes, kitchen  and other supplies. As the residents were living rough in the open, they suffered from diarrhea, now from influenza and respiratory infections. The total number of houses is 120, and 8 of them are destroyed and 108 burnt. There is no electricity.

VILLAGE:        LESKOC

By the end of November 1998, this village had 200 people back home. Out of 30 houses, 10 of them are burnt and destroyed. Population does not have anything, except the clothes they are wearing. Needs are grave in everything. Residents report they have no police since they returned to their empty and looted homes.

VILLAGE:        MLEQAN

By the end of November 1998, this village had 875 people that returned back home out of the total 1359 inhabitants. There are 12 IDPs in the village. People suffer from diarrhea and other respiratory diseases and they do not have any ambulatory; the nearest are in the villages of Baice, Terdeve and Obri, although for the time being they have one nurse who is trying her best. Out of the total 176 houses, 90% of them are burnt to ashes. Inhabitants lack gravely of food and clothing as everything was burnt during the summer offensive. Grave need is in, food, beds and sleeping bags. All clothes are burnt.  Water wells are poisoned; population would prefer to clean water pipes from the mountains. Residents are living in fear as they still have regular shooting. One was reported killed recently. All animals are shot.

VILLAGE:        PERCEVE

By the end of December 1998, this village had 1600 people back and 300 IDPs. Out of 118  houses of the village, 24 of them are completely destroyed, but 90% of the houses are damaged. Electricity was not available to the residents until two days ago. Needs of the population are grave in food and clothing. People are very afraid to use the water wells. They are afraid of the VJ movement around the village. The whole population sleeps rough in the open frequently because of the fear of army attacks on them.

VILLAGE:        RESNIK

By early February, this village had 830 people and 29 IDPs. Most of the villagers suffer from hyper-tension and respiratory diseases. Out of 65 houses, most of them are destroyed and 32 are burnt to ashes. Population is using the water from their wells, but they had no confirmation if the water was OK. Needs of the population are in food, clothes, heating, plastic sheets, mattresses and other kitchen supplies, as their supplies were destroyed, and burnt during the summer offensive. Insecurity makes these people feel feared; they have gunfire during the night.

VILLAGE:        SICEVE

By the end of December 1998, this village had only 370 people back home out of total 1261. Conditions are poor and very difficult for children and elderly. Some of the children suffer from diarrhea. Out of 154 houses of the village, 146 are burnt. All clothing is burnt too. Urgent needs are for heating, food and clothing. Two water wells are poisoned. Police is positioned only 800 meters away from the village. Shooting goes on during the night. Some of the houses are booby tapped. UCK removed some of them, but they do not guarantee.

VILLAGE:         STAPANICE

By the beginning of  February 1999, this village had out of the total of 1100 people only 570 returned home together with 35 IDPs. Population has no facility available, and is it was living rough in the open it suffered from Diarrhea a lot. This village has 98 houses, but 49 of them are burnt and destroyed. Heavy needs are to build the destroyed school. Water wells are contaminated. General needs are in food, clothes, bedding, shoes and other supplies. There is no security, shooting goes late at every night and early in the morning.

VILLAGE:        UJMIR

By the beginning of November 1998, this village had a small number of residents returned home. Most of the houses are destroyed and some damaged. School, public building and health facilities are destroyed. No electricity. People lack of food and clothes. Water well are in a very bad shape and not for drinking, supposedly poisoned. Needs are grave in food, clothes and heating, as well shelter material urgently needed.

VILLAGE:        VOLLJAKE

By the beginning of February 1999, this village had half the population back, 750 out of 1400 before the war. It had 22 IDPs. Out of approximately 110 houses, only 6 houses are completely intact. The whole community lives in some 50 houses, the other 50 houses are empty as the people are too afraid to come back.   Some of the houses are repaired. Needs of the population are in everything. They are facing continuous intimidation from the shooting that reportedly goes on from the Boxite Factory where the Serb forces are deployed ever since the summer offensive. Military forces want the people move from the village. Movement is limited.

VILLAGE:        ZABERGJE

By mid February 1999, this village had 60 families back with 600 people and 37 IDPs from Cerovik, Kieve, Bubavec, Brasor and Siceve. Out of 60 houses, 70% of them are destroyed. Needs are grave in food, clothes hygienic supplies, blankets, etc.  Water wells are poisoned with animals thrown in them and other chemicals. Circulation of the residents is limited; no one can move out of the village. Mines are planted in high mountain areas and night shooting is frequent.

Reported by,

Sevdie Ahmeti

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