UN Secures Access to Bosnian Serb Territory in Sarajevo Exclusion Zone, Refugees Continue to Flee

As the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina continues to deteriorate, the United Nations has secured previously denied access to all areas of Bosnian Serb-controlled territory in the Sarajevo 12.5-mile (20 km) heavy weapons exclusion zone. This breakthrough agreement, reached after a Thursday meeting between the Bosnian Serb army leadership and the U.N. Protection Force, will allow U.N. peacekeepers to move freely without exception, provided they are accompanied by the Bosnian Serb army and 24 hours' notice is given. The agreement is expected to aid U.N. military observers who had been previously denied access to areas thought to have heavy weapons within the exclusion zone.

However, the situation remains dire for refugees fleeing the embattled Bosnian enclave of Bihac. An estimated 23,000 people have fled Bihac, some 140 miles (220 km) northwest of Sarajevo, as Muslim-led Bosnian government troops captured the rebel Muslim stronghold of Velika Kladusa last weekend. Many of these refugees have risked their lives by walking through mine fields, and the situation on the ground is described as "miserable" due to inadequate food supplies and housing.

Key Takeaways:

• The United Nations has secured previously denied access to all areas of Bosnian Serb-controlled territory in the Sarajevo 12.5-mile (20 km) heavy weapons exclusion zone, allowing U.N. peacekeepers to move freely without exception.
• The agreement, reached after a Thursday meeting between the Bosnian Serb army leadership and the U.N. Protection Force, will allow U.N. commanders to meet directly with Bosnian Serb corp commanders.
• An estimated 23,000 people have fled the Bosnian enclave of Bihac, with many taking refuge in mine-field zones.
• The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that up to 5,000 people may try to escape through the Turbe crossing point in north central Bosnia.
• The UNHCR is facing a dire financial situation, with a need for $100,000 to fund operations through the rest of the year.
• Refugees who arrive late to relief centers will not receive all UNHCR benefits due to limited resources.

Statistics:

• 23,000 people have fled Bihac, an embattled Bosnian enclave northwest of Sarajevo.
• 10,000 people are located in a 1.5-mile no-man's-land area between Croatia and rebel Serb-held territory.
• 16,000 refugees from the north Bihac region remain in an old chicken farm at Batanoga.
• 550 Muslims from Sanski Most, Banja Luka, Prnjavor, and Donji Vakuf have crossed into Bosnian government army-controlled Turbe.
• $100,000 is needed to fund UNHCR operations through the rest of the year.
• Up to 5,000 people may try to escape through the Turbe crossing point.

Sources:

• U.N. spokesman Eric Chaperon
• U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Peter Kessler
• Edited by Natela Cutter in Belgrade