250 homeless families in one night

"Politika" April 22nd 1999.

T. Ness Nis, April 21st 1999.

A natural and expected event happened: air forces of richest countries sowed their "Cluster-bomb Democracy" at the first place and mostly on poor people. At night between Monday and Tuesday, just before midnight, NATO bombers dropped prevailing part of their deathly cargo on one of the most poor and badly regulated suburbs in Nis. The suburb grew at ill drained ground and without urban regulation, precisely, where those who have less could afford themselves roofs over their heads with lowest possible costs.

It is interesting that just before the aggression on our country started Nis City Hall services finished projects, prepared program and all the necessary conditions were fulfilled to regulate underwater in "Sljaka" suburb which were, after first rains, endangering more than half of houses. War conditions stopped execution of the project for which inhabitants of "Sljaka" suburb were fighting for months …

An then, at night between April 19th and April 20th the most developed countries' bombers "solved problem" of poor in Nis. According to Milan Milosavljevic, president of Commission for evaluation of damages caused by bombing three streets in "Sljaka" suburb, Bujmirska, Lipovacka and Sarajevska, do not exist any more: 250 housed are damaged. More precisely, 11 houses are completely destroyed, 7 have to be completely reconstructed, and 230 it is not possible to live. Maybe some hundred of houses might be repaired and prepared for use.

From people in suburb "Sljaka" on every corner it can be heard the same: "For what I worked all my life and what I've built all my life do not exist any more. Now I have nothing and I have nowhere to go."