YUGOSLAV REFUGEES, DISPLACED PERSONS and the CIVIL WAR Mirjana Morokvasic Freie Universitm, Berlin and Centre Nationale De La Recherche Scientifique, Paris
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YUGOSLAV REFUGEES, DISPLACED PERSONS AND THE CIVIL WAR Mirjana Morokvasic Freie UniversitM, Berlin and Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris Background case among the socialist countries. The within the boundaries of former Slovenia and Croatia declared present tragedy can only be compared Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav case may also independence on 25 June 1991. That to that of the Second World War; from help de-dramatize the East I West was the date of the "collective an international perspective, the invasion scenarios which predict thanatos"' which led to the United Nations High Commission on disruptive mass movements caused by disintegration of Yugoslavia. As a Refugees (UNHCR) compares it in political and ethnic violence or result of German pressure, the scope, scale of atrocities and ecological catastrophe in the countries European Community, followed by a consequences for the population, to the aligned with the former Soviet empire. number of other states, recognized the Cambodian civil war. The Demographic Structure In three ways, analyzing the independence of the secessionist The 600,000 to 1 million displaced refugees' situation contributes to our republics on 15 January 1992 and persons referred to above come from understanding of issues beyond the buried the second Y~goslavia.~ Croatia, whose total population is 4.7 human tragedy of the people Although the Westernmedia have million (see Figure 1).Moreover, most themselves. First, it demystifies the now shifted their attention to the of these people come from a relatively genesis of the Yugoslav conflict, which former Soviet Union, where other small area the front line, which is now is often reduced to a matter "ethnic - similar and potentially even more under the control of the Yugoslav hatred." It shows that the separation of dangerous ethnic conflicts are brewing, Army and Serbian forces. This means populations along ethnic lines, while that is not because genuine peace has that in the course of six months, an favouredby the power elites of Croatia, been established in former Yugoslavia. average of at least 100,000 people were Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, To the contrary: blood continues to forced to leave their homes each month. only intensifies existing problems or flow among the civilian population Vast areas have been devastated and creates new ones. Second, it draws and among military and paramilitary depopulated. attention to a category of refugee for personnel. As I write, the war is In general, the destinations of the whom "political refugee" status does spreading to Bosnia and Herzegovina refugees are the larger urban centres not apply and therefore underscores - and threatens to turn into a disaster of notably the capitals of the republics, the need to grant these people more far wider scope than the war in Croatia. but also such regions as Vojvodina and security and protection than they have The conflict has already claimed 3,083 Istria. About 300,000 refugees have so far enjoyed. Third, given the civilian victims according to Croatian sought shelter in safe areas of Croatia. relatively small number of refugees sources. The Yugoslav Army has Over 160,000 have fled to Serbia who have fled abroad compared to the confirmed about 1,279 dead soldiers. (including Vojvodina), around 100,000 But it is reliably estimated that from number who have sought refuge 10,000 to 30,000people have been killed in all and another 30,000 people are Table 1: Number of Displaced Persons by Region of Destination, reported mi~sing.~ Yugoslavia, 31 December 1991 and 10 February 1992 The estimated number of refugees ranges from 600,000 to over 1 milliona4 31 Dec/91 10 Febl92 Percent Change This is the third mass migration of Croatia 311,000 321,966 3.5 Yugoslavians since 1939. The first Serbia proper 90,414 99,993 10.6 consisted of people fleeing persecution in the Second World War and the Vojvodina 59,822 61,390 2.6 mainly involuntary internal migration Kosovo 1,169 1,519 29.9 and emigration of Yugoslavians in the Bosnia-Herzegovina 100,000 92,094 -7.9 immediate post-war period. The Slovenia 23,000 16,000 -30.4 second mass population movement was a legal labour migration, mainly to Montenegro 7,000 7,450 6.4 various West European countries as Macedonia 2,050 2,400 17.1 part of the "guest worker" programme Total 594,455 604,812 1.7 of the 1960s and 1970s. It was a unique Source: International Red Cross Refuge, Vol. 11, No. 4 (May 1992) 3 to Bosnia and Herzegovina and 23,000 latter, with its 55,000 inhabitants, into a countries to'tolerate' their presence for to Slovenia. As Table 1 suggests, the large refugee campas the time being was made public. The most recent events - increasing Far fewer people have sought recent Swiss decision to repatriate tensions and hostilities over the future shelter abroad than in Yugoslavia 14,000 Yugoslavs "because their lives of the multiethnic republic of Bosnia itselfS6That is because people know were no longer in danger," has been and Herzegovina - have now their chances of receiving political criticized by the UNHCR in Geneva. In established a reverse trend: refugees asylum are practically nil. In Germany, Germany, the target country of most have been leaving Bosnia and for example, only about one percent of Yugoslav asylum-seekersand refugees Herzegovina at a rate of several Yugoslavian asylum seekers in 1991 not requestingasylum (estimatesof the thousand a day. In only one day, 29 actually received asylum. In the fall of number of such people vary from March 1992,6,000 refugees crossed the 1991 most of the Yugoslavs who 50,000 to 150,000), the decision not to bridge connecting the Bosnian town of entered various European countries as repatriate them was taken at a Bosanski Brod with the Croatian town tourists remained underground until conference of Ministers of the Interior of Slavonski Brod, transforming the the decision adopted by most of the of the Llnder on 8 November 1991. The decision applies to refugees from Croatia and to deserters from the Yugoslav army. Refugees are granted Fig, 1: Refugee Movements in Yugoslavia financial aid whether they apply for asylum or not.' The main receiving countries are neighbouring Hungary and the countries where Yugoslavs previously went as migrant labourers. One may reasonably assume that newly arriving refugees in the latter countries are greeted by already-established friendship and kin networks. In France, visa requirements were imposed in 1986 for Yugoslavs and that has deterred the inflow of refugees. Elsewhere in Western Europe, Yugoslavs, together with Romanians, rank first in number of asylum Sha lded area indicates applicants. the main rnnv~rn~ntanf Among migrants within former displaced Yugoslavia, women and children under fifteen years of age represent two-thirds of the refugee flowa8(Men were either drafted into the military or are hiding and therefore do not appear in the official figures.) For an entire generation of former Yugoslavia's youth, this has had disastrous effects on their critically important period of childhood development. The war zone from which the refugees come was an ethnicallymixed area for centuries (see Figure 1). Villages tend to be predominantly Serb or Croat, depending on the region. But in urban areas, Croats, Serbs, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks and Hungarians lived as neighbours and intermarried. Thus, before the war, Vukovar had 40,000 inhabitants, 43 percent of whom were Croats, 37 4 Refuge, Vol. 11, No. 4 (May 1992) - --- -- pp - - --- - percent Serbs, 7.3 percent Yugoslavs, particular in binational families - and Amidst all the nationalistic euphoria, 1.6percent Hungarians and 3.5 percent in some front-line towns fully half of all non-nationalist expressions took much other ethnic origin^.^ families were ethnicallymixed. Among longer to get articulated. It was only in In front-line towns such as the many families who resisted February 1992 that the Civil Resistance Vukovar, Daruvar, Pakrac, Beli separation along ethnic lines, the war Movement was created by people from Manastir, Osijek and Petrinja, the produced thousands of stateless various parts of former Yugoslavia to proportion of "Yugoslavs" (people persons, with no place to go and no protect the rights of people who come who refused to define themselves as place to go back to. Wherever they from ethnically mixed families and Serbs, Croats, etc.) was increasing reside, Serbia or Croatia, such people identify themselves as Yugoslavs. constantly until the 1981 census, when are now considered potential enemies, Motives for Flight it was around 20 percent. The "traitors against the nation." One Outbursts of hatred and violence did proportion of Yugoslavs fell to 15 person from a mixed marriage whom I not cause the war, as has usually been percent in 1991 due to nationalist interviewed reported that: assumed. Rather, hatred and violence propaganda and subsequent ethnic I have always been closer to my mother. are the war's by-products. The war polarization. The war and the ensuing 1felt Croatian, Catholic, I even went to church. But I have now repeatedly been revived memories of Second World displacement of persons created War massacres. But that was after further polarization and ethnic told that 1 cannot stay in Croatia and keep myjob-not even witha singledrop almost half a century of peaceful homogenization: Croats fled mainly to coexistence and the widespread Croatia, Serbs to Serbia and to Bosnia- of Serbian blood in my veins. The situation became unbearable, so I left for disregard of nationality and religion. Herzegovina. Clearly, people who Belgrade where I thought 1 would be The use of Goebelsian propaganda in a spoke one language, shared the same better accepted; but there 1 was an steady, aggressive media war was culture and intermarried could only be 'Ustascha Croat.' necessary to disrupt that situation.