The main square in Karlovac with the transit camp at the back left
The church by the side of the camp had been shelled just before I arrived. Shelling continued intermittently, generally at night. Children play in the foreground
Keeping warm and waiting until they were offered a destination
The old army barracks building in the main square of Karlovac
The building was semi-derelict and unheated
Up to 30 people were housed in each room
Children make the best of cramped dormitories
The men spent their days in limbo - waiting for the next development
Children, some orphaned, made the best of it
There was no hot water and conditions were basic but everyone did their best to keep clean
Although in theory it was a men only camp the Red Cross and the UN could not turn away families and displaced relatives
There were 3 basic meals a day. Between times you waited and tried to keep warm. The walls were dripping with condensation
The women worked hard to make the place livable
Despite the poor conditions there was little trouble.
Families queue patiently for food
More waiting
The highlight of the day for most
Waiting
‘Traziti’ - missing
Many had lost family
Children kept themselves amused as best they could
Under the release agreement from the Serb camps the men were to be evacuated to third countries
Washing clothes was hard work with cold water
The Australian delegation
It was cold but tea was always available
Doner countries offered places for refugees. The ranged from Malaysia, Australia to Norway and Canada. Even the UK took a few
Men chopped firewood for the stoves
Austria was a popular destination as the border was only 70 miles away and offered the possibility of returning easier after the war. Malaysia, a Muslim country, who were generous in their offers, was less popular for Bosnians who did not srtongly adhere to their, sometimes notional, faith
More lists - Daily offers from donor countries were constantly scanned
Men wait by a small office where 2 Red Cross and 2 UNHCR personnel ran the camp
More waiting and phone calls
This woman’s husband had been killed in the camps. She was hoping to find a new life abroad but foreign placings were only available to the released men. Some countries would not immediately take dependents
Each day new lists were published for resettlement. For some they were joining relatives - for some a shot in the dark. If you turned down one country you might have to wait a long time for another offer. The war was still going on and Karlovac was being shelled regularly while I was there
On transportation days evacuees were given their accreditation and bussed to the airport at Zagreb
Whatever the future held it couldn’t be worse than Karlovac
This man had managed to secure a new life for his family. Refugees, as now, were a big political issue in doner countries. Unattached men had the most options
The evacuees had only what they could carry. The Serbs had destroyed, burnt or taken over their property and land and expelled them from Bosnia
Buses to Zagreb airport and a new future