More Bosnians going home

Udo Janz, acting head of the UNHCR in Bosnia, said in Sarajevo on 5 February that in 2002 a record 100,000 refugees and displaced persons returned to their former homes, mostly in areas now controlled by an ethnic group other than their own, Deutsche Welle's Bosnian Service reported. He noted that about 39,000 Muslims went back to homes in the Republika Srpska, and a similar number of Serbs returned to places that are now part of the Croat and Muslim federation. Almost 11,000 Croats went home to areas in both parts of the country. Janz said many of those who have not yet returned have probably begun new lives elsewhere and will not be back. He nonetheless added that an additional $500 million in assistance is needed to help reconstruct damaged homes. It is not clear, however, how many of the returnees actually moved back home permanently and how many returned temporarily in order to sell their property. PM