(13 Mar 1999) Albanian/Nat
Hundreds of ethnic Albanians are continuing to flee their homes in southern Kosovo following the latest Serb offensive in the area.
Fighting has intensified in many parts of the province, with the strongest clashes being reported near the town of Vucitrn, northwest of Pristina.
In the south, Serb troops are reported to be burning villages, sending hundreds of Albanians fleeing to the hills.
Several hundred refugees are known to be crowding into halls and school buildings in the Macedonian capital of Skopje, forced from their homes in neighbouring Kosovo by a renewed Serb offensive.
Others are staying with relatives or friends.
The refugees are in desperate need of basic necessities. Many have fled their homes with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"Our village was surrounded by the Serb army and the only option was to escape. So we went to the hills and ended up in Macedonia. And I want to thank everyone here for the support and assistance and for the food."
SUPER CAPTION: Nezir Mehmati, refugee
Aid organisations in Skopje say they're seeing more and more people lining up for handouts each day.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
"The village was under heavy Serb shelling. We saw Serb soldiers drinking and telling the people to escape."
SUPER CAPTION: name unknown, refugee
After hiding in the mountains for three days, one group of refugees has crossed over the border into Macedonia.
The two hundred refugees are from the villages of Kacanik, Globocica, and Straza.
Most of them are women and children, as the men have stayed in Kosovo to fight Serb soldiers.
The refugees crossed the border illegally without passports or other proper documentation.
However they were given help from a local Albanian humanitarian organisation.
The aid workers have been giving the refugees food and helping them find accommodation in Albanian villages in Macedonia.
Amongst the displaced during this latest phase of the conflict, these refugees are thought to be amongst the fortunate ones.
There are still hundreds of others believed to be hiding in the mountains that separate Macedonia from the disputed Kosovo province.
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