Between Crime and Solidarity: The Treatment of Refugees in Montenegro During the 1990s

This paper examines the status, treatment, and public representation of refugees in Montenegro during the 1990s, a period marked by political upheaval and humanitarian crises following the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). It focuses on multiple refugee waves, including those generated by the Bosnian War (1992–1995), the influx from Croatia after Operation Storm in 1995, and the displacement from Kosovo during and after the NATO bombing of 1999. Drawing on archival records, government documents, and contemporary media, the study highlights the complex and often contradictory experiences of displaced populations. Serb refugees received broad public and institutional support, facilitated by historical kinship, civic engagement, and favorable political alignment. Bosniak/Muslim refugees, while receiving solidarity and assistance, were also at times subject to deportation, police intervention, and arbitrary detention, reflecting perceived political and security concerns. Albanian refugees were generally welcomed in Albanian- and Bosniak-majority municipalities, but their stay was politically sensitive, including the killings in Kaluđerski Laz. By situating these experiences within theoretical frameworks of forced migration, the study addresses a significant gap in research on post-Yugoslav refugee reception, illustrating how small, conflict-affected states balance moral obligation, political calculation, and ethnicized social dynamics.