Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia & Albania: Restoring family links

Restoring contact between family members separated by conflict is a major Red Cross priority. With refugees transferred to various camps in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania and other countries, the number of families split up by the crisis is a problem of grave concern. The majority of these people, after suffering the shock of having to abandon their homes, are now desperately looking for relatives of whom they have lost trace in this tragic process.

An agreement was concluded in Albania last week between the ICRC and three radio networks: Radio Tirana, Voice of America and Deutsche Welle associated with Radio France International, which have agreed to broadcast the names of refugees so that they can let their relatives know where they are. So far, 50 to 100 names are being broadcast every day. Meanwhile two Albanian newspapers have already published more than 500 names, and thanks to the Red Cross telephone link several hundred refugees have succeeded in contacting relatives living in third countries. From this week on, 44 mobile phones will be made available to the refugees.

In Macedonia, the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations have now registered over 150 unaccompanied children in the transit camps and have received more than 300applications from parents who have lost trace of their children. The Macedonian Red Cross and the ICRC are taking the necessary steps with the authorities concerned so that these families can be reunited.

To support these tracing efforts, the ICRC has deployed eight delegates in Macedonia, seven in Albania and three in Yugoslavia.