Bosnian refugees return home at last

Many children have spent their lives as refugees

By Alix Kroeger in Sarajevo

Nearly five years after the fighting in Bosnia stopped, the log-jam of refugees returning to their pre-war homes is breaking.

The latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, show the number of ethnic minorities in Bosnia returning to their pre-war homes is at its highest since the end of the war five years ago.

In the first half of this year almost 20,000 people returned to pre-war homes in areas where they are in the minority.

That is one-and-a-half times as many people as for the same period last year - and the return season is now at its peak.

Not all refugees have homes to return to

In Serb-dominated eastern Bosnia the first Muslims have now begun to return.

Around 40 went back to the town of Visegrad last week, but they are living in tents with no prospect of moving into permanent accommodation before the winter comes.

The UNHCR describes the figures as a breakthrough.

But it warns that donor fatigue is putting the return programme at risk.

The agency says people are tired of being asked to give money for reconstruction, and that is jeopardising the whole returns programme.

Illegal occupancy is the biggest single barrier to returns, but local authorities have been slow to act

If potential returnees can't get the money to rebuild their homes they could be deterred from going back.

And some people who have already returned may give up and go back to where they were living as displaced persons.

In many cases that means they will be living illegally in someone else's property, thus preventing another possible return.

Illegal occupancy is the biggest single barrier to returns, but local authorities have been slow to act.

The international community - which has given Bosnia $5bn in aid - is pushing for tougher enforcement of the property laws.

Older refugees have had to endure overcrowded conditions

However, outside intervention is not always welcome.

The hardline nationalist politicians who still control most of Bosnia's municipalities have no interest in encouraging minorities to go back.

Nationalists from all three sides also dominate parliament. Last week they passed a law which would have given them the right to decide who should sit on the collective presidency without the consent of the lower house, which is directly elected.

The European Union's high representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, has now forcibly amended the law.

But it is a sign of the continuing tension between local officials and the international community, who between them are supposed to be overseeing Bosnia's reconstruction, both physical and political.