Albania Plans to Move Refugees for the Winter
The government said Monday that it is planning to move thousands of Kosovo refugees from poor areas in the north of the country in preparation for the onset of winter and the threat of a new influx of displaced people.
Deputy Prime Minister Bashkim Fino said the government will move some of the refugees from northeastern Albania to areas where they can be provided with better shelter and care.
Aid organizations say about 265,000 people have fled their homes since fighting began in the neighboring Serbian province, most of them ethnic Albanians who make up 90% of the population of 2 million.
More than 15,000 refugees have crossed into Albania since June, fleeing fighting that flared up seven months ago between guerrillas and Serbian security forces.
The refugees, half of them children and a third women, arrived in the northern district of Tropoje, Albania’s poorest region.
“The government has decided to move 3,000 to 5,000 refugees from Kukes prefecture to Diber and Shkoder,” Fino said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
