Aftermath
A
Serbian Orthodox church destroyed by Albanians after the war
Within three weeks, over 500,000 Albanian
refugees had returned home. By November 1999, according to the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 808,913 out of 848,100 had returned.
However, an estimated 200,000
Serbs fled Kosovo.
[54] Gypsies were also driven out after being harassed by Albanians. Since
June 12,
1999, as many as 1,000 Serbs and Roma have been murdered or have gone missing as a result of KLA elements and possibly criminal
gangs or vengeful individuals.
[55][37] The Yugoslav
Red Cross had also registered 247,391 mostly Serbian refugees by November. The new exodus was a severe embarrassment to NATO, which had established a peacekeeping force of 45,000 under the auspices of the United Nations Mission In Kosovo (
UNMIK).
Returning IDPs from the
Republic of Macedonia were kept in a lead polluted refugee camp set up by KFOR / UNMIK in
North Mitrovica. The charity, ran by
Paul Polansky, claims 27 died from lead poisoning, denied by UNMIK who recognise only one death.
According to Amnesty International, the presence of peacekeepers in Kosovo led to an increase in the
trafficking of women for sexual exploitation.
[56][57][58]
