CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 106

THE UN “SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME” IN UNPA SECTOR WEST …
3,033 Croats, 3,514 Serbs and 1,650 individuals of other ethnicities, mainly
Hungarians and Italians. Before the outbreak of the war, a total of 17
different ethnicities lived in the city of Pakrac. About 40 % of them were
joined in mixed marriages.
This ethnic composition was the result of 450 years of turbulent
migration history in the region. Serbs were initially settled here during the
Turkish sieges in the interest of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy as a
bulwark against the Turks. Another major migration wave occurred at the
end of the 19 th century due to the region’s industrialization, with its
economic development attracting many other nationalities from the former
monarchy to settle here permanently.
The Republic of Croatia declared its independence from the Republic
of Yugoslavia in June 1991, thereby rendering the Serb population living in
Croatia an ethnic minority. In return, the Krajina Serbs, supported by the
political authorities in Belgrade, declared their autonomy, as did
subsequently the so-called independent “Republica Srpska Krajina” (RSK),
which was not internationally recognized. On Croatian territory, the RSK
with its declared capital Knin comprised Krajina, Eastern Slavonia and parts
of Western Slavonia.
Already in the summer of 1991, armed conflict broke out between the
RSK’s paramilitary forces, supported by the Yugoslav People’s Army and
the Croatian armed forces. As a result of this confrontation (1991/92)
Serbian forces gained control over about one third of Croatian territory
including the southern part of Western Slavonia, bordering on Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
The armed conflict between the two armies resulted in horrendous
destruction and human suffering in the embattled areas. Many towns and
villages on both sides of the later ceasefire line were destroyed completely
and their inhabitants forced to flee, creating scores of displaced persons and
refugees.
Following international peace negotiations, the embattled areas were
declared a “United Nations Protected Area” (UNPA) in the spring of 1992.
Administratively, the area was subdivided into the sectors “UNPA Sector
West” (Western Slavonia), “UNPA Sector North and South” (Krajina) and
“UNPA Sector East” (Eastern Slavonia). UNPA Sector West was the only
sector not fully under the control of the RSK, remaining under Croatian
control up to the ceasefire line.
Since the southern part of Western Slavonia under RSK control
directly abutted the part of Bosnia-Herzegovina under Serbian control, after
the establishment of UNPA West Serb refugees moved into the abandoned
houses of Croats who had fled to the Croatian part of Western Slavonia.
Displaced persons and refugees who were not the rightful owners moved
into such houses in both parts of the Sector, either under Croatian or Serbian
control. For example, on the Croat side, 6,000 Croatian refugees from
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