New homes for refugees

"If you're going to work in this kind of environment you have to realise that you can't help everyone. You do the best you can within the confines of the mission. Sometimes the mission acts as a shield."

FIFTEEN YEARS HAVE passed since Lars Fornell was in the midst of the tension and violence of the raging conflict in the former Yugoslavia, yet he describes it like it was yesterday. Their UN mission - the largest Swedish humanitarian aid project during the war — was to build houses for almost 3000 refugees in the besieged enclave of Srebrenica, which would later be ravaged.

"The enclave of Srebrenica was a demilitarised zone under UN protection, but during the time we were building, the area was under fire from the Serbs every single day. The rules were violated around 250 times a day," recounts Lars Fornell, who was Project Co­ordinator for the SRSA's construc­tion work in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1993 to 2003. A total of 11,000 houses, schools, hospitals, care homes, roads and bridges were rebuilt or repaired, at a cost of SEK560 million. The SRSA provided the equipment and construction management. The local people did the hard work.

THE PROJECT IN SREBRENICA has left its mark on electrical engineer Lars Fornell. He now works on shelter room development with the SRSA in Karlstad, and he plans to retire soon. In 1993, he and a handful of colleagues were sent to the former Yugoslavia on a recon­naissance operation. Was it pos­sible to provide aid in the form of construction and repair work, as the UN had requested?

"We judged, perhaps naively, that it would be possible," says Lars and goes on to talk about bombed-out flight terminals and dramatic journeys in bullet-proof vests and helmets, all played out against a background of constant gunfire and the rumble of war­fare.

On his first visit to Srebrenica, the scenes he saw reminded him of a concentration camp - people in torn clothes, living in ruins. There was no electricity, no water, and no communication with the outside world. The Serbs control­led all entry and exit to the area. The levels of degradation and desperate need made a powerful impression, particularly the empty gazes of children.

"In other war zones, children still play, but the children in Sre­brenica didn't play. I saw how the Serbs shot at women, aiming for the hip joint, to shatter the pelvis."

He explains that if you are go­ing to work in this kind of envi­ronment you have to realise that you can't help everyone.

"You do the best you can within the confines of the mis­sion. Sometimes the mission acts as a shield. Many of those who wanted to help more than they could found the mission difficult mentally and emotionally."

Lars Fornell was responsible for transportation, including the enor­mous amount of paperwork that had to be done in order to gain permits to bring supplies into the country. The UN sanctions com­mittee had to have their say, and the Serbs had to approve "every last nut and bolt". No less than 270 railway freight cars traveled from Trelleborg in southern Sweden to Belgrade, loaded with prefab houses. From there, 600 truck convoys left for Srebrenica, about a dozen at a time. By July 1995 the houses were complete, just outside the city.

"We managed to pipe water from the mountains for the resi­dents, and we built a school," says Lars, who maintains that not only the housing, but also the interna­tional presence, were crucial for the people in this locked enclave. "It was a way of showing the world that they existed."

THE TRAGIC SEQUEL to this Story has been well documented. In the summer of 1995, the Serbs entered Srebrenica and killed at least 7000 men. The women and children were taken away. Only after the Dayton peace agreement in 1996 was it possible for the SRSA to continue their projects. The hous­es in Srebrenica were taken over by Serbs, who then moved them to other locations.

Working in Bosnia-Herze­govina has made Lars Fornell more tolerant and has earned him lots of new friends - Serbs, Bosnians and Croatians. And the most important lessons learned? He says that better knowledge of the culture would have helped, although his own group managed to avoid some cultural clashes by seeing themselves as guests in a foreign country.

After returning home, it's crucial to discuss the experience. Lars Fornell talked with the group of 28 Swedes who had been in Srebrenica together.

"I also think it's extremely important to throw yourself back into everyday life once you get…