Serbia: IDPs still seeking housing solutions and documentation to access their rights

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^{31 December 2009}

In 2008 Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. The UN General Assembly subsequently voted to refer the independence declaration to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion. At the end of 2009, 64 countries had recognised Kosovo. For the purpose of this page references to “Serbia” exclude Kosovo.

In 1999, bombardments by NATO forces and attacks by Kosovo Albanians forced Kosovo Serbs and Roma people to flee into Serbia proper or within Kosovo. As of December 2009, there were still around 225,000 IDPs in Serbia, including an estimated 20,000 unregistered displaced Roma people. An additional 20,000 people were displaced in Kosovo, mainly in majority-Serb enclaves.

Few of the people displaced in 1999 have found durable solutions. After an almost complete halt of returns in 2008, rates increased slightly with some 540 returns in 2009. Prospects for return to Kosovo are limited, and many IDPs face difficulties in repossessing property and obtaining legal documentation. Those who have returned to Kosovo have struggled to find work, notably because of widespread discrimination against Serbs and Roma people. As a result, Serb IDP associations estimate that only 5,000 IDP minority returns out of 15,000 have been sustainable.
The Serbian government has implemented projects supporting the development of social housing for IDPs in recent years, notably for the 4,200 IDPs still in collective centres.

The most vulnerable IDPs are Roma people who have specific protection needs. Their lack of documentation and any official residence prevents them from registering as IDPs and limits their access to services and social benefits.

Serbia / Kosovo: Protests against return of IDPs to north Kosovo}}}

Serbs and EU police forces clashed during a protest in Mitrovica against the return of ethnic Albanians to Kosovo’s north. At the centre of the tensions is the rebuilding of houses belonging to ethnic Albanians who fled during the 1999 war, in a town still highly polarised around the two communities. The protesters allegedly declared that the tensions will cease only if Serbs are allowed to go back to the Albanian-run south. The EU law-enforcement mission has condemned the violence and called for the rioters to be brought to justice as soon as possible. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008.

NOTE: In 2008 Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. The United Nations General Assembly subsequently voted to refer the independence declaration to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion. As of December 2009, 64 countries had recognised Kosovo. For the purpose of this overview references to the situation in “Serbia” since 2008 do not include Kosovo.

In 1999, over 245,000 members of local minorities fled from or within Kosovo in fear of reprisals from the majority Albanian population after NATO air strikes forced the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops and ended years of oppression of ethnic Albanians. Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008 created new uncertainty for those still displaced, but there have been no major incidents targeting minority communities and no further displacement. Serbia has not recognised the independence of Kosovo, continuing to regard it as a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory. (...)

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^{29 December 2009}