The Albanian population is found in north-central, northwestern, and western Macedonia in municipalities bordering Kosovo and Albania. In the Kumanovo municipality, for example, the DART found that the refugee population outnumbered the host community. These municipalities cannot sustain any significant increase in the refugee caseload. There are three potential resources for housing additional refugees. First, there are houses left vacant by a significant percentage of the Albanian population of Macedonia who live and work outside the country.
Many refugees already live in such houses.
Secondly, hotels that have lost business due to the war may be able to accommodate more refugees, particularly if donors cover operating costs. Finally, there are many existing unused buildings and factories that could be converted to shelter large numbers of refugees. A camp food management meeting will be held in Skopje on Wednesday, May 19 with WFP and agencies involved in food distributions at the camp level. Discussions will include bread distribution, cooking facilities, and the distribution of complementary food items. WFP reports that the number of refugees registered with Macedonian Red Cross is 102,165.