YUGOSLAV WARS Yugoslav wars Break-up of Yugoslavia 140,000+ dead; thousands missing; over 1,000,000 left homeless. The Yugoslav Wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) that took place between 1991 and 2001. They comprised two sets of successive wars affecting all of the six former Yugoslav republics. Alternative terms in use include the ―War in the Balkans‖, or ―War in (former) Yugoslavia‖, ―Wars of Yugoslav Secession‖, and the ―Third Balkan War‖ (a short-lived term coined by British journalist Misha Glenny, alluding to the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913). They were characterised by bitter ethnic conflicts between the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats, Bosniaks or Albanians on the other; but also between Bosniaks and Croats in Bosnia and Macedonians and Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The conflict had its roots in various underlying political, economic and cultural problems, as well as long-standing ethnic and religious tensions. The civil wars ended with much of the former Yugoslavia reduced to poverty, massive economic disruption and persistent instability across the territories where the worst fighting occurred. The wars were the bloodiest conflicts on European soil since the end of World War II. They were also the first conflicts since World War II to have been formally judged genocidal in character and many key individual participants were subsequently charged with war crimes. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established by the United Nations to prosecute these crimes. The Yugoslav civil wars can be split in two groups of several distinct conflicts:
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YUGOSLAV WARS
Yugoslav wars
Break-up of Yugoslavia
140000+ dead thousands missing over
1000000 left homeless
The Yugoslav Wars
were a series of violent
conflicts in the territory of
the former Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia
(SFRY) that took place
between 1991 and 2001
They comprised two sets of
successive wars affecting all
of the six former Yugoslav republics Alternative terms in use include the ―War in
the Balkans or ―War in (former) Yugoslavia ―Wars of Yugoslav Secession
and the ―Third Balkan War (a short-lived term coined by British journalist Misha
Glenny alluding to the Balkan Wars of 1912ndash1913)
They were characterised by bitter ethnic conflicts between the peoples of
the former Yugoslavia mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats
Bosniaks or Albanians on the other but also between Bosniaks and Croats in
Bosnia and Macedonians and Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia The
conflict had its roots in various underlying political economic and cultural
problems as well as long-standing ethnic and religious tensions
The civil wars ended with much of the former Yugoslavia reduced to
poverty massive economic disruption and persistent instability across the
territories where the worst fighting occurred The wars were the bloodiest conflicts
on European soil since the end of World War II They were also the first conflicts
since World War II to have been formally judged genocidal in character and many
key individual participants were subsequently charged with war crimes The
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established
by the United Nations to prosecute these crimes
The Yugoslav civil wars can be split in two groups of several
distinct conflicts
1 Wars during the breakup of SFRY
2 War in Slovenia (1991)
3 Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995)
4 Bosnian War (1992-1995)
Wars in Albanian-populated areas
1 Kosovo War (1997-1999)
2 Southern Serbia conflict (2000-2001)
3 Macedonia conflict (2001)
BACKGROUND
Major tensions arose from the first monarchist Yugoslavias multi-ethnic
makeup and relative political and demographic domination of the Serbs
Fundamental to the tensions was the different conceptions of the new state for the
Croats envisaged a federal model where they would enjoy greater autonomy than
they had as a separate crown land under Austria-Hungary the Serbs tended to
view the territories as a just reward for their support of the allies in WW1 and the
new state as an extension of the Serbian Kingdom These tensions often erupted
into open conflict resulting in a dictatorship exercising repression through the Serb
dominated security structure and the assassination in federal parliament of Croat
political leaders including Stjepan Radic who opposed the Serbian monarchlsquos
absolutism The assassination and human rights abuses were subject of concern for
the League of Nations and precipitated voices of protest from intellectuals
including Albert Einstein It was in this environment of repression that the
insurgent group (later fascist dictatorship) Ustashe were formed
The countrylsquos tensions were exploited by the occupying Axis forces in
World War II which established a puppet-state spanning much of present day
Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina The axis powers installed in charge of this
―Independent State of Croatia― the Ustashe which having resolved that the
Serbian minority were a trojan horse of Serbian expansionism pursued a
genocidal policy against them Both Croats and Muslims were recruited as soldiers
by the SS (primarily in the 13th Waffen Mountain Division) At the same time
former Royalist General Milan Nedic was installed by the axis as head of the Serb
puppet state with the collaborationist Serb Chetnik militia pursued an ethnic
cleansing program against Croats and Muslims particularly in Eastern Bosnia
with a view to creating a Greater Serbia (see Stevan Moljević) Both were
confronted and eventually defeated by the communist-led anti-fascist Partisan
movement composed of members of all ethnic groups in the area leading to the
formation of a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Despite the federal structure of the new Yugoslavia there was still the
tension between the federalists primarily Croats and Slovenes who argued for
greater autonomy and unitarists primarily Serbs The to and fro of the struggle
would occur in cycles of protests for greater individual and national rights (such as
the Croatian Spring) and subsequent repression The 1974 constitution was an
attempt to short-circuit this pattern by entrenching the federal model and
formalising national rights
THE EARLY CONFLICTS (1991-1995)
In the years leading up to the Yugoslav wars relations among the republics
of the Socialist Federal of Yugoslavia had been deteriorating Slovenia and Croatia
desired greater autonomy within a Yugoslav confederation while Serbia sought to
strengthen federal authority As it became clearer that there was no solution
agreeable to all parties Slovenia and Croatia moved toward secession
The first of these conflicts known as the Ten-Day War or ―The War in
Slovenia was initiated by the secession of Slovenia from the federation on 25 June
1991 The federal government ordered the federal Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army to
secure border crossings in Slovenia Slovenian police and Territorial Defense
blockaded barracks and roads leading to standoffs and limited skirmishes around
the republic After several dozen deaths the war was stopped through negotiation
at Brioni on 9 July 1991 when Slovenia and Croatia agreed to a three-month
moratorium on secession The Federal army completely withdrew from Slovenia
by 26 October 1991
The second in this series of conflicts the Croatian War of Independence
began when Serbs in Croatia who were opposed to Croatian independence
announced their secession from Croatia The move was in part triggered by a
provision in the new Croatian Constitution that replaced the explicit reference to
Serbs in Croatia as a constituent nationlsquo with a generic reference to all other
nations and was interepreted by Serbs as being reclassified as a national
minoritylsquo This was coupled with a history of distrust between the two ethnic
groups dating back to at least both World Wars and the inter-war period The
federally-controlled Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army (JNA) was ideologically unitarist
and predominantly staffed by Serbs in its officer corp thus it also opposed
Croatian independence and sided with the Croatian Serb rebels Since the JNA had
disarmed the Territorial Units of the two northernmost republics the fledgling
Croatian state had to form its military from scratch[citation needed]
and was further
hindered by an arms embargo imposed by the UN on the whole of Yugoslavia
The Croatian Serb rebels were unaffected by said embargo as they had the support
of and access to supplies of the JNA The border regions faced direct attacks from
forces within Serbia and Montenegro and saw the destruction of Vukovar and the
shelling of UNESCO world heritage site Dubrovnik Meanwhile control over
central Croatia was seized by Croatian Serb forces in conjunction with the JNA
Corpus from Bosnia amp Herzegovina under the leadership of Ratko Mladic[citation
needed] These attacks were marked by the killings of captured soldiers and heavy
civilian casualties (Ovcara Škabrnja) and were the subject of war crimes
indictments by the ICTY for elements of the Serb political amp military leadership
In January 1992 the Vance peace plan proclaimed UN controlled (UNPA) zones
for Serbs in territory claimed by the rebel Serbs as the Republic of Serbian Krajina
and brought an end to major military operations though sporadic artillery attacks
on Croatian cities and occasional intrusions of Croatian forces into UNPA zones
continued until 1995
In 1992 the conflict engulfed Bosnia It was predominantly a territorial
conflict between local Muslims and Croats backed by Zagreb on one side and
Serbs backed by the Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army and Serbia on the other For a short-
lived period the erstwhile Muslim amp Croat allies would turn on each other in a
battle for the scraps of territory left until they reformed their alliance under US
tutelage that was formalised as the Muslim-Croat federation The Bosnia conflict
typified by the siege of Sarajevo amp Srebrenica was by far the bloodiest and most
widely covered of the Yugoslav wars
The fighting in Croatia ended sometime in the Summer of 1995 after
Croatian Army launched two rapid military operations codenamed Operation
Flash and Operation Storm in which it managed to reclaim all of its territory
except the UNPA Sector East bordering Serbia Most of the Serbian population in
these areas became refugees and has been the subject of war crimes indictments
by the ICTY for elements of the Croat military leadership The remaining Sector
East came under UN administration (UNTAES) and was reintegrated to Croatia in
1998
In 1994 the US brokered peace between Croatian forces and the Bosniak
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina After the successful Flash and
Storm operations the Croatian Army and the combined Bosnjiak amp Croat forces
of Bosnian amp Herzegovina worked together in an operation codenamed Operation
Maestral to push back Bosnian Serb military gains Together with US air strikes
on the Bosnian Serbs the successes on the ground put pressure on the Serbs to
come to the negotiating table Pressure was put on all sides to stick to the cease-
fire and finally negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia The war ended with the
signing of the Dayton Agreement on the 14th of December 1995 with the
formation of Republika Srpska as an entity within Bosnia and Hercegovina being
the resolution for Bosnian Serb demands
CONFLICTS IN ALBANIAN-POPULATED AREAS (1996-2001)
In Kosovo Macedonia and southern Central Serbia the conflicts were
typified by ethnic and political tension between the Serbian and Macedonian
governments and Albanian national minorities which sought autonomy as was the
case in the Republic of Macedonia or independence as was the case in Kosovo
The conflict in Kosovo (1996-1999) became a full-scale war in 1999 while
the Macedonia conflict (2001-2002) and Southern Serbia conflict (2001) were
characterised by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian
guerrillas
The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces
in 1999 with a mainly bombing but partly ground-based campaign under the
command of Gen Wesley Clark Even so further widespread unrest in Kosovo
broke out in 2004 The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate
war The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with
internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the
government but the situation in both regions remains fragile
A BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE YUGOSLAV WARS
1968
Students in Kosovo demand greater rights for the Albanian minority during
the worldwide May 1968 protests
1971
Demonstrations in Croatia known as the Croatian spring are condemned
by the government Many participants were later convicted as nationalists
including Stipe Mesić and Franjo Tuđman Government crisis follows
1974
A new SFRY constitution is proclaimed granting more power to federal
units and more power to autonomous provinces Kosovo and Vojvodina of Serbia
giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government Muslims
were recognized as a constituent ―nation of Yugoslavia and of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
1980
Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies
1981
Economic crisis in Yugoslavia has begun Albanian nationalist
demonstrations in Kosovo demand federal unit status
1986-1989
The controversial Memorandum of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
claims Serbia has a weak position in Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević rises to power in Serbia Antibureaucratic revolution
demonstrations bring pro-Milošević governments to Vojvodina Kosovo and
Montenegro
1990
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves on republican and
ethnic lines at its 14th Congress [citation needed]
The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia Nationalist
parties win the majority in almost all republics [citation needed]
Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to
Kosovo and Vojvodina effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal
council Along with allied Montenegro this gives extreme power to the Serbian
elite With these votes Serbian representatives attempt to institute martial law to
stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnialsquos representative (an ethnic
Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote
Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian
government led by Franjo Tuđman
1991
Slovenia and Croatia declare independence War in Slovenia lasts ten days
The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in
Croatia War begins in Croatia
Atrocities of Serb forces in Croatia lead to the creation of the term ethnic
cleansing Cities of Vukovar Dubrovnik and Osijek are devastated by constant
bombardments and shelling Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic
cleansing overwhelm Croatia
1992
Vance peace plan signed creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs and ending
large scale fighting in Croatia
Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence Bosnian war begins
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed consisting of Serbia and
Montenegro the only two remaining republics
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
1 Wars during the breakup of SFRY
2 War in Slovenia (1991)
3 Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995)
4 Bosnian War (1992-1995)
Wars in Albanian-populated areas
1 Kosovo War (1997-1999)
2 Southern Serbia conflict (2000-2001)
3 Macedonia conflict (2001)
BACKGROUND
Major tensions arose from the first monarchist Yugoslavias multi-ethnic
makeup and relative political and demographic domination of the Serbs
Fundamental to the tensions was the different conceptions of the new state for the
Croats envisaged a federal model where they would enjoy greater autonomy than
they had as a separate crown land under Austria-Hungary the Serbs tended to
view the territories as a just reward for their support of the allies in WW1 and the
new state as an extension of the Serbian Kingdom These tensions often erupted
into open conflict resulting in a dictatorship exercising repression through the Serb
dominated security structure and the assassination in federal parliament of Croat
political leaders including Stjepan Radic who opposed the Serbian monarchlsquos
absolutism The assassination and human rights abuses were subject of concern for
the League of Nations and precipitated voices of protest from intellectuals
including Albert Einstein It was in this environment of repression that the
insurgent group (later fascist dictatorship) Ustashe were formed
The countrylsquos tensions were exploited by the occupying Axis forces in
World War II which established a puppet-state spanning much of present day
Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina The axis powers installed in charge of this
―Independent State of Croatia― the Ustashe which having resolved that the
Serbian minority were a trojan horse of Serbian expansionism pursued a
genocidal policy against them Both Croats and Muslims were recruited as soldiers
by the SS (primarily in the 13th Waffen Mountain Division) At the same time
former Royalist General Milan Nedic was installed by the axis as head of the Serb
puppet state with the collaborationist Serb Chetnik militia pursued an ethnic
cleansing program against Croats and Muslims particularly in Eastern Bosnia
with a view to creating a Greater Serbia (see Stevan Moljević) Both were
confronted and eventually defeated by the communist-led anti-fascist Partisan
movement composed of members of all ethnic groups in the area leading to the
formation of a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Despite the federal structure of the new Yugoslavia there was still the
tension between the federalists primarily Croats and Slovenes who argued for
greater autonomy and unitarists primarily Serbs The to and fro of the struggle
would occur in cycles of protests for greater individual and national rights (such as
the Croatian Spring) and subsequent repression The 1974 constitution was an
attempt to short-circuit this pattern by entrenching the federal model and
formalising national rights
THE EARLY CONFLICTS (1991-1995)
In the years leading up to the Yugoslav wars relations among the republics
of the Socialist Federal of Yugoslavia had been deteriorating Slovenia and Croatia
desired greater autonomy within a Yugoslav confederation while Serbia sought to
strengthen federal authority As it became clearer that there was no solution
agreeable to all parties Slovenia and Croatia moved toward secession
The first of these conflicts known as the Ten-Day War or ―The War in
Slovenia was initiated by the secession of Slovenia from the federation on 25 June
1991 The federal government ordered the federal Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army to
secure border crossings in Slovenia Slovenian police and Territorial Defense
blockaded barracks and roads leading to standoffs and limited skirmishes around
the republic After several dozen deaths the war was stopped through negotiation
at Brioni on 9 July 1991 when Slovenia and Croatia agreed to a three-month
moratorium on secession The Federal army completely withdrew from Slovenia
by 26 October 1991
The second in this series of conflicts the Croatian War of Independence
began when Serbs in Croatia who were opposed to Croatian independence
announced their secession from Croatia The move was in part triggered by a
provision in the new Croatian Constitution that replaced the explicit reference to
Serbs in Croatia as a constituent nationlsquo with a generic reference to all other
nations and was interepreted by Serbs as being reclassified as a national
minoritylsquo This was coupled with a history of distrust between the two ethnic
groups dating back to at least both World Wars and the inter-war period The
federally-controlled Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army (JNA) was ideologically unitarist
and predominantly staffed by Serbs in its officer corp thus it also opposed
Croatian independence and sided with the Croatian Serb rebels Since the JNA had
disarmed the Territorial Units of the two northernmost republics the fledgling
Croatian state had to form its military from scratch[citation needed]
and was further
hindered by an arms embargo imposed by the UN on the whole of Yugoslavia
The Croatian Serb rebels were unaffected by said embargo as they had the support
of and access to supplies of the JNA The border regions faced direct attacks from
forces within Serbia and Montenegro and saw the destruction of Vukovar and the
shelling of UNESCO world heritage site Dubrovnik Meanwhile control over
central Croatia was seized by Croatian Serb forces in conjunction with the JNA
Corpus from Bosnia amp Herzegovina under the leadership of Ratko Mladic[citation
needed] These attacks were marked by the killings of captured soldiers and heavy
civilian casualties (Ovcara Škabrnja) and were the subject of war crimes
indictments by the ICTY for elements of the Serb political amp military leadership
In January 1992 the Vance peace plan proclaimed UN controlled (UNPA) zones
for Serbs in territory claimed by the rebel Serbs as the Republic of Serbian Krajina
and brought an end to major military operations though sporadic artillery attacks
on Croatian cities and occasional intrusions of Croatian forces into UNPA zones
continued until 1995
In 1992 the conflict engulfed Bosnia It was predominantly a territorial
conflict between local Muslims and Croats backed by Zagreb on one side and
Serbs backed by the Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army and Serbia on the other For a short-
lived period the erstwhile Muslim amp Croat allies would turn on each other in a
battle for the scraps of territory left until they reformed their alliance under US
tutelage that was formalised as the Muslim-Croat federation The Bosnia conflict
typified by the siege of Sarajevo amp Srebrenica was by far the bloodiest and most
widely covered of the Yugoslav wars
The fighting in Croatia ended sometime in the Summer of 1995 after
Croatian Army launched two rapid military operations codenamed Operation
Flash and Operation Storm in which it managed to reclaim all of its territory
except the UNPA Sector East bordering Serbia Most of the Serbian population in
these areas became refugees and has been the subject of war crimes indictments
by the ICTY for elements of the Croat military leadership The remaining Sector
East came under UN administration (UNTAES) and was reintegrated to Croatia in
1998
In 1994 the US brokered peace between Croatian forces and the Bosniak
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina After the successful Flash and
Storm operations the Croatian Army and the combined Bosnjiak amp Croat forces
of Bosnian amp Herzegovina worked together in an operation codenamed Operation
Maestral to push back Bosnian Serb military gains Together with US air strikes
on the Bosnian Serbs the successes on the ground put pressure on the Serbs to
come to the negotiating table Pressure was put on all sides to stick to the cease-
fire and finally negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia The war ended with the
signing of the Dayton Agreement on the 14th of December 1995 with the
formation of Republika Srpska as an entity within Bosnia and Hercegovina being
the resolution for Bosnian Serb demands
CONFLICTS IN ALBANIAN-POPULATED AREAS (1996-2001)
In Kosovo Macedonia and southern Central Serbia the conflicts were
typified by ethnic and political tension between the Serbian and Macedonian
governments and Albanian national minorities which sought autonomy as was the
case in the Republic of Macedonia or independence as was the case in Kosovo
The conflict in Kosovo (1996-1999) became a full-scale war in 1999 while
the Macedonia conflict (2001-2002) and Southern Serbia conflict (2001) were
characterised by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian
guerrillas
The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces
in 1999 with a mainly bombing but partly ground-based campaign under the
command of Gen Wesley Clark Even so further widespread unrest in Kosovo
broke out in 2004 The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate
war The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with
internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the
government but the situation in both regions remains fragile
A BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE YUGOSLAV WARS
1968
Students in Kosovo demand greater rights for the Albanian minority during
the worldwide May 1968 protests
1971
Demonstrations in Croatia known as the Croatian spring are condemned
by the government Many participants were later convicted as nationalists
including Stipe Mesić and Franjo Tuđman Government crisis follows
1974
A new SFRY constitution is proclaimed granting more power to federal
units and more power to autonomous provinces Kosovo and Vojvodina of Serbia
giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government Muslims
were recognized as a constituent ―nation of Yugoslavia and of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
1980
Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies
1981
Economic crisis in Yugoslavia has begun Albanian nationalist
demonstrations in Kosovo demand federal unit status
1986-1989
The controversial Memorandum of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
claims Serbia has a weak position in Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević rises to power in Serbia Antibureaucratic revolution
demonstrations bring pro-Milošević governments to Vojvodina Kosovo and
Montenegro
1990
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves on republican and
ethnic lines at its 14th Congress [citation needed]
The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia Nationalist
parties win the majority in almost all republics [citation needed]
Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to
Kosovo and Vojvodina effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal
council Along with allied Montenegro this gives extreme power to the Serbian
elite With these votes Serbian representatives attempt to institute martial law to
stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnialsquos representative (an ethnic
Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote
Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian
government led by Franjo Tuđman
1991
Slovenia and Croatia declare independence War in Slovenia lasts ten days
The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in
Croatia War begins in Croatia
Atrocities of Serb forces in Croatia lead to the creation of the term ethnic
cleansing Cities of Vukovar Dubrovnik and Osijek are devastated by constant
bombardments and shelling Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic
cleansing overwhelm Croatia
1992
Vance peace plan signed creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs and ending
large scale fighting in Croatia
Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence Bosnian war begins
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed consisting of Serbia and
Montenegro the only two remaining republics
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
former Royalist General Milan Nedic was installed by the axis as head of the Serb
puppet state with the collaborationist Serb Chetnik militia pursued an ethnic
cleansing program against Croats and Muslims particularly in Eastern Bosnia
with a view to creating a Greater Serbia (see Stevan Moljević) Both were
confronted and eventually defeated by the communist-led anti-fascist Partisan
movement composed of members of all ethnic groups in the area leading to the
formation of a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Despite the federal structure of the new Yugoslavia there was still the
tension between the federalists primarily Croats and Slovenes who argued for
greater autonomy and unitarists primarily Serbs The to and fro of the struggle
would occur in cycles of protests for greater individual and national rights (such as
the Croatian Spring) and subsequent repression The 1974 constitution was an
attempt to short-circuit this pattern by entrenching the federal model and
formalising national rights
THE EARLY CONFLICTS (1991-1995)
In the years leading up to the Yugoslav wars relations among the republics
of the Socialist Federal of Yugoslavia had been deteriorating Slovenia and Croatia
desired greater autonomy within a Yugoslav confederation while Serbia sought to
strengthen federal authority As it became clearer that there was no solution
agreeable to all parties Slovenia and Croatia moved toward secession
The first of these conflicts known as the Ten-Day War or ―The War in
Slovenia was initiated by the secession of Slovenia from the federation on 25 June
1991 The federal government ordered the federal Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army to
secure border crossings in Slovenia Slovenian police and Territorial Defense
blockaded barracks and roads leading to standoffs and limited skirmishes around
the republic After several dozen deaths the war was stopped through negotiation
at Brioni on 9 July 1991 when Slovenia and Croatia agreed to a three-month
moratorium on secession The Federal army completely withdrew from Slovenia
by 26 October 1991
The second in this series of conflicts the Croatian War of Independence
began when Serbs in Croatia who were opposed to Croatian independence
announced their secession from Croatia The move was in part triggered by a
provision in the new Croatian Constitution that replaced the explicit reference to
Serbs in Croatia as a constituent nationlsquo with a generic reference to all other
nations and was interepreted by Serbs as being reclassified as a national
minoritylsquo This was coupled with a history of distrust between the two ethnic
groups dating back to at least both World Wars and the inter-war period The
federally-controlled Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army (JNA) was ideologically unitarist
and predominantly staffed by Serbs in its officer corp thus it also opposed
Croatian independence and sided with the Croatian Serb rebels Since the JNA had
disarmed the Territorial Units of the two northernmost republics the fledgling
Croatian state had to form its military from scratch[citation needed]
and was further
hindered by an arms embargo imposed by the UN on the whole of Yugoslavia
The Croatian Serb rebels were unaffected by said embargo as they had the support
of and access to supplies of the JNA The border regions faced direct attacks from
forces within Serbia and Montenegro and saw the destruction of Vukovar and the
shelling of UNESCO world heritage site Dubrovnik Meanwhile control over
central Croatia was seized by Croatian Serb forces in conjunction with the JNA
Corpus from Bosnia amp Herzegovina under the leadership of Ratko Mladic[citation
needed] These attacks were marked by the killings of captured soldiers and heavy
civilian casualties (Ovcara Škabrnja) and were the subject of war crimes
indictments by the ICTY for elements of the Serb political amp military leadership
In January 1992 the Vance peace plan proclaimed UN controlled (UNPA) zones
for Serbs in territory claimed by the rebel Serbs as the Republic of Serbian Krajina
and brought an end to major military operations though sporadic artillery attacks
on Croatian cities and occasional intrusions of Croatian forces into UNPA zones
continued until 1995
In 1992 the conflict engulfed Bosnia It was predominantly a territorial
conflict between local Muslims and Croats backed by Zagreb on one side and
Serbs backed by the Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army and Serbia on the other For a short-
lived period the erstwhile Muslim amp Croat allies would turn on each other in a
battle for the scraps of territory left until they reformed their alliance under US
tutelage that was formalised as the Muslim-Croat federation The Bosnia conflict
typified by the siege of Sarajevo amp Srebrenica was by far the bloodiest and most
widely covered of the Yugoslav wars
The fighting in Croatia ended sometime in the Summer of 1995 after
Croatian Army launched two rapid military operations codenamed Operation
Flash and Operation Storm in which it managed to reclaim all of its territory
except the UNPA Sector East bordering Serbia Most of the Serbian population in
these areas became refugees and has been the subject of war crimes indictments
by the ICTY for elements of the Croat military leadership The remaining Sector
East came under UN administration (UNTAES) and was reintegrated to Croatia in
1998
In 1994 the US brokered peace between Croatian forces and the Bosniak
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina After the successful Flash and
Storm operations the Croatian Army and the combined Bosnjiak amp Croat forces
of Bosnian amp Herzegovina worked together in an operation codenamed Operation
Maestral to push back Bosnian Serb military gains Together with US air strikes
on the Bosnian Serbs the successes on the ground put pressure on the Serbs to
come to the negotiating table Pressure was put on all sides to stick to the cease-
fire and finally negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia The war ended with the
signing of the Dayton Agreement on the 14th of December 1995 with the
formation of Republika Srpska as an entity within Bosnia and Hercegovina being
the resolution for Bosnian Serb demands
CONFLICTS IN ALBANIAN-POPULATED AREAS (1996-2001)
In Kosovo Macedonia and southern Central Serbia the conflicts were
typified by ethnic and political tension between the Serbian and Macedonian
governments and Albanian national minorities which sought autonomy as was the
case in the Republic of Macedonia or independence as was the case in Kosovo
The conflict in Kosovo (1996-1999) became a full-scale war in 1999 while
the Macedonia conflict (2001-2002) and Southern Serbia conflict (2001) were
characterised by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian
guerrillas
The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces
in 1999 with a mainly bombing but partly ground-based campaign under the
command of Gen Wesley Clark Even so further widespread unrest in Kosovo
broke out in 2004 The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate
war The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with
internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the
government but the situation in both regions remains fragile
A BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE YUGOSLAV WARS
1968
Students in Kosovo demand greater rights for the Albanian minority during
the worldwide May 1968 protests
1971
Demonstrations in Croatia known as the Croatian spring are condemned
by the government Many participants were later convicted as nationalists
including Stipe Mesić and Franjo Tuđman Government crisis follows
1974
A new SFRY constitution is proclaimed granting more power to federal
units and more power to autonomous provinces Kosovo and Vojvodina of Serbia
giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government Muslims
were recognized as a constituent ―nation of Yugoslavia and of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
1980
Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies
1981
Economic crisis in Yugoslavia has begun Albanian nationalist
demonstrations in Kosovo demand federal unit status
1986-1989
The controversial Memorandum of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
claims Serbia has a weak position in Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević rises to power in Serbia Antibureaucratic revolution
demonstrations bring pro-Milošević governments to Vojvodina Kosovo and
Montenegro
1990
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves on republican and
ethnic lines at its 14th Congress [citation needed]
The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia Nationalist
parties win the majority in almost all republics [citation needed]
Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to
Kosovo and Vojvodina effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal
council Along with allied Montenegro this gives extreme power to the Serbian
elite With these votes Serbian representatives attempt to institute martial law to
stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnialsquos representative (an ethnic
Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote
Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian
government led by Franjo Tuđman
1991
Slovenia and Croatia declare independence War in Slovenia lasts ten days
The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in
Croatia War begins in Croatia
Atrocities of Serb forces in Croatia lead to the creation of the term ethnic
cleansing Cities of Vukovar Dubrovnik and Osijek are devastated by constant
bombardments and shelling Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic
cleansing overwhelm Croatia
1992
Vance peace plan signed creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs and ending
large scale fighting in Croatia
Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence Bosnian war begins
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed consisting of Serbia and
Montenegro the only two remaining republics
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
announced their secession from Croatia The move was in part triggered by a
provision in the new Croatian Constitution that replaced the explicit reference to
Serbs in Croatia as a constituent nationlsquo with a generic reference to all other
nations and was interepreted by Serbs as being reclassified as a national
minoritylsquo This was coupled with a history of distrust between the two ethnic
groups dating back to at least both World Wars and the inter-war period The
federally-controlled Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army (JNA) was ideologically unitarist
and predominantly staffed by Serbs in its officer corp thus it also opposed
Croatian independence and sided with the Croatian Serb rebels Since the JNA had
disarmed the Territorial Units of the two northernmost republics the fledgling
Croatian state had to form its military from scratch[citation needed]
and was further
hindered by an arms embargo imposed by the UN on the whole of Yugoslavia
The Croatian Serb rebels were unaffected by said embargo as they had the support
of and access to supplies of the JNA The border regions faced direct attacks from
forces within Serbia and Montenegro and saw the destruction of Vukovar and the
shelling of UNESCO world heritage site Dubrovnik Meanwhile control over
central Croatia was seized by Croatian Serb forces in conjunction with the JNA
Corpus from Bosnia amp Herzegovina under the leadership of Ratko Mladic[citation
needed] These attacks were marked by the killings of captured soldiers and heavy
civilian casualties (Ovcara Škabrnja) and were the subject of war crimes
indictments by the ICTY for elements of the Serb political amp military leadership
In January 1992 the Vance peace plan proclaimed UN controlled (UNPA) zones
for Serbs in territory claimed by the rebel Serbs as the Republic of Serbian Krajina
and brought an end to major military operations though sporadic artillery attacks
on Croatian cities and occasional intrusions of Croatian forces into UNPA zones
continued until 1995
In 1992 the conflict engulfed Bosnia It was predominantly a territorial
conflict between local Muslims and Croats backed by Zagreb on one side and
Serbs backed by the Yugoslav Peoplelsquos Army and Serbia on the other For a short-
lived period the erstwhile Muslim amp Croat allies would turn on each other in a
battle for the scraps of territory left until they reformed their alliance under US
tutelage that was formalised as the Muslim-Croat federation The Bosnia conflict
typified by the siege of Sarajevo amp Srebrenica was by far the bloodiest and most
widely covered of the Yugoslav wars
The fighting in Croatia ended sometime in the Summer of 1995 after
Croatian Army launched two rapid military operations codenamed Operation
Flash and Operation Storm in which it managed to reclaim all of its territory
except the UNPA Sector East bordering Serbia Most of the Serbian population in
these areas became refugees and has been the subject of war crimes indictments
by the ICTY for elements of the Croat military leadership The remaining Sector
East came under UN administration (UNTAES) and was reintegrated to Croatia in
1998
In 1994 the US brokered peace between Croatian forces and the Bosniak
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina After the successful Flash and
Storm operations the Croatian Army and the combined Bosnjiak amp Croat forces
of Bosnian amp Herzegovina worked together in an operation codenamed Operation
Maestral to push back Bosnian Serb military gains Together with US air strikes
on the Bosnian Serbs the successes on the ground put pressure on the Serbs to
come to the negotiating table Pressure was put on all sides to stick to the cease-
fire and finally negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia The war ended with the
signing of the Dayton Agreement on the 14th of December 1995 with the
formation of Republika Srpska as an entity within Bosnia and Hercegovina being
the resolution for Bosnian Serb demands
CONFLICTS IN ALBANIAN-POPULATED AREAS (1996-2001)
In Kosovo Macedonia and southern Central Serbia the conflicts were
typified by ethnic and political tension between the Serbian and Macedonian
governments and Albanian national minorities which sought autonomy as was the
case in the Republic of Macedonia or independence as was the case in Kosovo
The conflict in Kosovo (1996-1999) became a full-scale war in 1999 while
the Macedonia conflict (2001-2002) and Southern Serbia conflict (2001) were
characterised by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian
guerrillas
The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces
in 1999 with a mainly bombing but partly ground-based campaign under the
command of Gen Wesley Clark Even so further widespread unrest in Kosovo
broke out in 2004 The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate
war The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with
internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the
government but the situation in both regions remains fragile
A BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE YUGOSLAV WARS
1968
Students in Kosovo demand greater rights for the Albanian minority during
the worldwide May 1968 protests
1971
Demonstrations in Croatia known as the Croatian spring are condemned
by the government Many participants were later convicted as nationalists
including Stipe Mesić and Franjo Tuđman Government crisis follows
1974
A new SFRY constitution is proclaimed granting more power to federal
units and more power to autonomous provinces Kosovo and Vojvodina of Serbia
giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government Muslims
were recognized as a constituent ―nation of Yugoslavia and of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
1980
Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies
1981
Economic crisis in Yugoslavia has begun Albanian nationalist
demonstrations in Kosovo demand federal unit status
1986-1989
The controversial Memorandum of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
claims Serbia has a weak position in Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević rises to power in Serbia Antibureaucratic revolution
demonstrations bring pro-Milošević governments to Vojvodina Kosovo and
Montenegro
1990
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves on republican and
ethnic lines at its 14th Congress [citation needed]
The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia Nationalist
parties win the majority in almost all republics [citation needed]
Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to
Kosovo and Vojvodina effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal
council Along with allied Montenegro this gives extreme power to the Serbian
elite With these votes Serbian representatives attempt to institute martial law to
stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnialsquos representative (an ethnic
Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote
Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian
government led by Franjo Tuđman
1991
Slovenia and Croatia declare independence War in Slovenia lasts ten days
The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in
Croatia War begins in Croatia
Atrocities of Serb forces in Croatia lead to the creation of the term ethnic
cleansing Cities of Vukovar Dubrovnik and Osijek are devastated by constant
bombardments and shelling Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic
cleansing overwhelm Croatia
1992
Vance peace plan signed creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs and ending
large scale fighting in Croatia
Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence Bosnian war begins
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed consisting of Serbia and
Montenegro the only two remaining republics
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
typified by the siege of Sarajevo amp Srebrenica was by far the bloodiest and most
widely covered of the Yugoslav wars
The fighting in Croatia ended sometime in the Summer of 1995 after
Croatian Army launched two rapid military operations codenamed Operation
Flash and Operation Storm in which it managed to reclaim all of its territory
except the UNPA Sector East bordering Serbia Most of the Serbian population in
these areas became refugees and has been the subject of war crimes indictments
by the ICTY for elements of the Croat military leadership The remaining Sector
East came under UN administration (UNTAES) and was reintegrated to Croatia in
1998
In 1994 the US brokered peace between Croatian forces and the Bosniak
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina After the successful Flash and
Storm operations the Croatian Army and the combined Bosnjiak amp Croat forces
of Bosnian amp Herzegovina worked together in an operation codenamed Operation
Maestral to push back Bosnian Serb military gains Together with US air strikes
on the Bosnian Serbs the successes on the ground put pressure on the Serbs to
come to the negotiating table Pressure was put on all sides to stick to the cease-
fire and finally negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia The war ended with the
signing of the Dayton Agreement on the 14th of December 1995 with the
formation of Republika Srpska as an entity within Bosnia and Hercegovina being
the resolution for Bosnian Serb demands
CONFLICTS IN ALBANIAN-POPULATED AREAS (1996-2001)
In Kosovo Macedonia and southern Central Serbia the conflicts were
typified by ethnic and political tension between the Serbian and Macedonian
governments and Albanian national minorities which sought autonomy as was the
case in the Republic of Macedonia or independence as was the case in Kosovo
The conflict in Kosovo (1996-1999) became a full-scale war in 1999 while
the Macedonia conflict (2001-2002) and Southern Serbia conflict (2001) were
characterised by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian
guerrillas
The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces
in 1999 with a mainly bombing but partly ground-based campaign under the
command of Gen Wesley Clark Even so further widespread unrest in Kosovo
broke out in 2004 The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate
war The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with
internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the
government but the situation in both regions remains fragile
A BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE YUGOSLAV WARS
1968
Students in Kosovo demand greater rights for the Albanian minority during
the worldwide May 1968 protests
1971
Demonstrations in Croatia known as the Croatian spring are condemned
by the government Many participants were later convicted as nationalists
including Stipe Mesić and Franjo Tuđman Government crisis follows
1974
A new SFRY constitution is proclaimed granting more power to federal
units and more power to autonomous provinces Kosovo and Vojvodina of Serbia
giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government Muslims
were recognized as a constituent ―nation of Yugoslavia and of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
1980
Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies
1981
Economic crisis in Yugoslavia has begun Albanian nationalist
demonstrations in Kosovo demand federal unit status
1986-1989
The controversial Memorandum of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
claims Serbia has a weak position in Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević rises to power in Serbia Antibureaucratic revolution
demonstrations bring pro-Milošević governments to Vojvodina Kosovo and
Montenegro
1990
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves on republican and
ethnic lines at its 14th Congress [citation needed]
The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia Nationalist
parties win the majority in almost all republics [citation needed]
Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to
Kosovo and Vojvodina effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal
council Along with allied Montenegro this gives extreme power to the Serbian
elite With these votes Serbian representatives attempt to institute martial law to
stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnialsquos representative (an ethnic
Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote
Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian
government led by Franjo Tuđman
1991
Slovenia and Croatia declare independence War in Slovenia lasts ten days
The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in
Croatia War begins in Croatia
Atrocities of Serb forces in Croatia lead to the creation of the term ethnic
cleansing Cities of Vukovar Dubrovnik and Osijek are devastated by constant
bombardments and shelling Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic
cleansing overwhelm Croatia
1992
Vance peace plan signed creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs and ending
large scale fighting in Croatia
Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence Bosnian war begins
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed consisting of Serbia and
Montenegro the only two remaining republics
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces
in 1999 with a mainly bombing but partly ground-based campaign under the
command of Gen Wesley Clark Even so further widespread unrest in Kosovo
broke out in 2004 The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate
war The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with
internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the
government but the situation in both regions remains fragile
A BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE YUGOSLAV WARS
1968
Students in Kosovo demand greater rights for the Albanian minority during
the worldwide May 1968 protests
1971
Demonstrations in Croatia known as the Croatian spring are condemned
by the government Many participants were later convicted as nationalists
including Stipe Mesić and Franjo Tuđman Government crisis follows
1974
A new SFRY constitution is proclaimed granting more power to federal
units and more power to autonomous provinces Kosovo and Vojvodina of Serbia
giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government Muslims
were recognized as a constituent ―nation of Yugoslavia and of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
1980
Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies
1981
Economic crisis in Yugoslavia has begun Albanian nationalist
demonstrations in Kosovo demand federal unit status
1986-1989
The controversial Memorandum of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
claims Serbia has a weak position in Yugoslavia
Slobodan Milošević rises to power in Serbia Antibureaucratic revolution
demonstrations bring pro-Milošević governments to Vojvodina Kosovo and
Montenegro
1990
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves on republican and
ethnic lines at its 14th Congress [citation needed]
The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia Nationalist
parties win the majority in almost all republics [citation needed]
Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to
Kosovo and Vojvodina effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal
council Along with allied Montenegro this gives extreme power to the Serbian
elite With these votes Serbian representatives attempt to institute martial law to
stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnialsquos representative (an ethnic
Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote
Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian
government led by Franjo Tuđman
1991
Slovenia and Croatia declare independence War in Slovenia lasts ten days
The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in
Croatia War begins in Croatia
Atrocities of Serb forces in Croatia lead to the creation of the term ethnic
cleansing Cities of Vukovar Dubrovnik and Osijek are devastated by constant
bombardments and shelling Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic
cleansing overwhelm Croatia
1992
Vance peace plan signed creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs and ending
large scale fighting in Croatia
Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence Bosnian war begins
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed consisting of Serbia and
Montenegro the only two remaining republics
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
Slobodan Milošević rises to power in Serbia Antibureaucratic revolution
demonstrations bring pro-Milošević governments to Vojvodina Kosovo and
Montenegro
1990
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves on republican and
ethnic lines at its 14th Congress [citation needed]
The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia Nationalist
parties win the majority in almost all republics [citation needed]
Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to
Kosovo and Vojvodina effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal
council Along with allied Montenegro this gives extreme power to the Serbian
elite With these votes Serbian representatives attempt to institute martial law to
stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnialsquos representative (an ethnic
Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote
Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian
government led by Franjo Tuđman
1991
Slovenia and Croatia declare independence War in Slovenia lasts ten days
The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in
Croatia War begins in Croatia
Atrocities of Serb forces in Croatia lead to the creation of the term ethnic
cleansing Cities of Vukovar Dubrovnik and Osijek are devastated by constant
bombardments and shelling Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic
cleansing overwhelm Croatia
1992
Vance peace plan signed creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs and ending
large scale fighting in Croatia
Macedonia and Bosnia declare independence Bosnian war begins
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed consisting of Serbia and
Montenegro the only two remaining republics
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts
Slovenia Croatia and Bosnia as members
1993
Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins
Fighting begins in the Bihać region between Bosnian Government and
Bosniaks loyal to Fikret Abdić
FR Yugoslavia due to sanctions and isolation is hit with by that time
never seen hyperinflation of 36 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar This
amount of inflation exceeds the one in Great Depression 1929
The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar built in 1566 was destroyed (it
is unknown by whom) It has been renovated in 2003
1994
Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the United States
FR Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic
Implementation Framework
1995
Srebrenica massacre reported 8000 Bosniaks killed
Croatia launches Operation Flash and Operation Storm reclaiming all
UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia and resulting in exodus of 250000 Serbs
from the zones War in Croatia ends
NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other
military targets
Dayton Agreement signed in Paris War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends
Aftermath of war is over 100000 killed and missing and 25 million people
internally displaced among the former republics Serb defeat in Croatia and West
Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes but many
refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today
After signing the Dayton Agreement Yugoslavia is granted with looser
sanctions still affecting much to its economy (trade tourism industrial production
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
and exports of final products) but being allowed for its citizens to exit
Yugoslavia for a limited time
1996
FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia amp Herzegovina
Following a fraud in local elections hundreds of thousands of Serbs
demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months
1998
Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo
Eastern Slavonia peacefully reintegrated into Croatia
1999
NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo
Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations but still remains a part of
Yugoslavialsquos federadion
Franjo Tuđman dies Shortly after that his party loses the elections
2000
Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office and Vojislav Koštunica becomes
new president of Yugoslavia
With Milošević a major political threat eliminated the World had no
reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated The political and economic
sanctions are suspended in total and FR Yugoslavia has been reinstated in most
political and economic organizations (ironically United Nations which the
Socialist Yugoslavia founded) as well as candidate for new ones (like EU)
2001
Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian
security forces
Conflict between Albanian militants and government in Macedonia
KLANLA are recognized by United States as a terrorist groups in total
They are considered to perpetrate all of actions to make the Kosovo and Metohija
completely ethnic Albanian driving out Christian population (mostly Serb and
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
Montenegrin) to flee and burning down their homes and sacred site like churches
monasteries and such causing previous retaliation of YugoslavSerbian police and
military force actions
2002
Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo
2003
FR Yugoslavia becomes the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Alija Izetbegović dies
2006
Death of Ibrahim Rugova in Priština Kosovo Republic of Serbia State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Montenegrins declare independence from the state union with Serbia
Death of Slobodan Milošević in the Hague prison
2007
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) finds Serbia not guilty of
committing genocide in Bosnia but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in
Srebrenica and hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its
borders
2001 MACEDONIA CONFLICT
2001 Macedonia conflict
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
Macedonian special police forces in
Tetovo
Combatants
Republic of
Macedonia
National
Liberation Army
Commanders
Boris Trajkovski
Ljube Boškoski
Ali Ahmeti
Casualties
63 (Macedonian sources)
64 (NLA sources)
Civilian casualties
70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians 10 ethnic
Macedonians)
The 2001 Macedonia conflict was an armed conflict which began when
the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group was
provoked into attacking the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the
beginning of January 2001 The Macedonian conflict lasted throughout most of the
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
year although overall casualties remained limited to several tens for either side
according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict
BACKGROUND
On gaining independence from Yugoslavia Macedonia was set as a
republic with unicameral parliament a 120-seat National Assembly and a
popularly elected President Contrary to other former Yugoslav republics it
managed to separate from Yugoslavia without any real bloodshed For the first
seven years it was ruled by former socialists who prevented the country from
being drawn into any kind of conflict The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia
(SDSM) could not push through the necessary reforms of the society and
economy On the contrary during the 1990s it came under pressure for massive
corruption and connections to local Serbian and Albanian organized crime
mainly consisting of large-scale smugglers who acted against UN-imposed
embargoes on Former Yugoslavia Consequently this government was voted out
on parliamentary elections in 1998 in favour of a coalition of nationalist Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian
National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) Democratic Alternative (DA) and the
Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA)
ETHNIC TENSION
The new government immediately faced immense problems and began
losing popularity By November 2000 the DA withdrew from the coalition and
was replaced by the small Liberal Party Political scandals and economic
difficulties had a heavy impact on the government which was considered as
corrupt by the population as previous SDSM Clearly this situation had a severe
impact on relations between the ethnic Macedonian majority and ethnic Albanian
minority which were already tense ever since countrylsquos independence even if not
as bad as in Kosovo On one side the Albanians in Macedonia demanded greater
cultural and educational rights as well as representation in the government armed
forces and police on the other side large Serbian Macedonian and Albanian but
also Greek and Bulgarian smuggling bands were active in Macedonia in the
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
1990s Their business flourished as long as the UN embargos against FRY were in
force and while SDSM was in power almost nothing was done against their
activity
Ethnic map of the Republic of Macedonia much of the fighting was
concentrated on the territory with Albanian majority (orange)
History of the Republic of Macedonia
Chronological
National Liberation War of Macedonia (1941-1944)
Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1944-1991)
Republic of Macedonia (since 1991)
2001 Macedonia conflict (2001)
Topical
Military | ASNOM | NOF
Also see terminology and history
of the region of Macedonia
However the conflict between the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and the
conduct of presidential elections in Macedonia in 1999 exacerbated inter-ethnic
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
tensions Charges of violence and ballot-stuffing highlighted tensions further
increased by a flood of 250000 Kosovar Albanian refugees on the height of the
Kosovo War Eventually even the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) became
present in Macedonia establishing bases and supply centres from which it was
dispatching fighters into FRY It did not last very long until some of Albanian
bands formed their own militias private ―bodyguards were available in sufficient
number - and omnipresent whenever specific local bosses felt their rights or
interests threatened Due to the uprisings and chaos in Albania in 1996 and then
the war in Kosovo there were now plenty of weapons available at low prices
Smuggling has long traditions in the Balkans and in the case of Macedonia
in the 1990s even top government officials were involved in different smuggling
operations with Kosovo and Albania which were mainly run by ethnic Albanians
During the crisis on Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 large stockpiles of weapons
intended for KLA were stored in depots in villages on the Macedonian border to
Kosovo Smuggling of fuels narcotics tobacco white slaves and even chocolate
was widespread and top Macedonian political brass was getting financial
compensation for doing nothing against such crimes Whoever protested within
the Macedonian authorities was removed from his post This dangerous
combination of ethnic tensions and organized crime now only needed a spark that
would cause the fire While redirecting smuggling channels from Kosovo to
Macedonia and gearing up the propaganda machine against the Macedonian
government especially among the ethnic Albanians living abroad the NLA began
attacking police and army personnel and facilities but then also public facilities
(like rail lines)
Overview
Macedonian Mil Mi-24V in action during the conflict against Albanian
insurgents
Beginning of the Albanian insurgency
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000
and early 2001 mainly along Macedonialsquos border with the United Nations-
administered Serbian province of Kosovo The insurgents acted in a pattern similar
to the one seen in Kosovo in late 1997 and through 1998 according to which they
gradually took over one village after the other Any such efforts were initially
―peaceful the non-Albanian population being ―encouraged to leave But in
January-February 2001 combat actions against legitimate authorities begun
The government at first did nothing against the situation because it received
assurances that what was going on was not directed against Macedonia Satisfied
with the answer and their payments the authorities waited for almost two months ndash
and then the situation was almost immediately out of control in fact so much that
the government was taken by surprise
In January 2001 a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA)
appeared claiming responsibility for attacks on police forces The leaders of this
NLA ndash including Ali Ahmeti and his uncle Fazli Veliu were all from Western
Macedonia They stated to have ―between several hundreds and thousands of
fighters under arms However they were not supported by either of the two main
ethnic Albanian political parties The Macedonian government claimed that the
rebels were actually members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who
infiltrated the country from Kosovo In fact the NLA-fighters considered Kosovo
as ―safe heaven where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian
actions against them
A squad of Macedonian security forces take lethal action to disarm two
Albanian insurgents armed with grenades
MACEDONIAN REPRISALS
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
After several attacks on Macedonian security forces Macedonians took to
the streets of some towns attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops
mosques and houses Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep Skopje and Bitola
Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring
Albanian-populated villages which they claimed needed to be done ―in order to
save Macedonia Those targeted in the attacks were mostly Albanians but also
Macedonian Muslims
AFTERMATH
CEASEFIRE AND DISARMAMENT
After the Ohrid Agreement the rebels agreed to cease-fire in June however
there were other agreements in August before settling on a final one in January
2002 Under the Ohrid Agreement the Macedonian government pledged to
improve the rights of the Albanian population that makes up just over 253 per
cent of the population Those rights include making Albanian language an official
language increasing the participation of ethnic Albanians in government
institutions police and army Most importantly under the Ohrid Agreement the
Macedonian government agreed to a new model of decentralization
The Albanian side agreed to give up any separatist demands and to fully
recognize all Macedonian institutions In addition according to this accord the
NLA was to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force
Operation ―Essential Harvest was officially launched on 22 August and
effectively started on 27 August This 30-day mission involved approximately
3500 NATO and Macedonian troops to disarm the NLA and destroy their
weapons Just hours after NATO wrapped up the operation Ali Ahmeti told
reporters attending a news conference in the rebel stronghold of Sipkovica that he
was dissolving the National Liberation Army and that it was time for ethnic
reconciliation
Several months after the conflict some armed provocations persisted
Small bombings and shootings used to happen The most serious provocations
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
happened when three Macedonian police officers were killed in an ambush by
ethnic Albanian gunmen on November 12 2001
CASUALTIES AND DISPLACEMENT
Casualty figures remain uncertain By March 19 2001 the BBC reported
that Macedonian security forces claimed five of their soldiers were killed while
the NLA claimed it had killed 11 No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited
at the time On December 25 2001 the Alternative Information Network cited
figures of 63 deaths claimed by Macedonian security forces for their side and 64
deaths claimed by the NLA for their fighters About 60 ethnic Albanian civilians
are thought to have been killed (some say 1000) while possibly about ten ethnic
Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release
figures for the latter at the time some say there were 500) As of December 2005
the fate of twenty ―disappeared civilians mdash13 ethnic Macedonians six ethnic
Albanians and one Bulgarian citizenmdash remains unknown By August 2001 the
number of people displaced by the war reached 170000 of which 74000 displaced
internally As of January 2004 2600 remained displaced
ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
The most notable incident was the Ljuboten massacre A three-day
operation by Macedonian police against the predominantly ethnic Albanian village
of Ljuboten from August 10-12 2001 The operation left ten civilians dead and
resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men many of whom were severely beaten
while in police custody Contrary to assertions by the Macedonian government a
Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no evidence
of a presence by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation The events that occurred
during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near Skopje in August 2001
led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time Ljube
Boškoski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague
Although the conflict in Macedonia was brief it was not scant of war
crimes The most notable incident was the infamous Vejce massacre where
Albanian guerrillas killed 8 Macedonian soldiers and dismembered and
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
vandalized their corpses On another occasion Albanian guerrillas inscribed their
names with knives on the backs on some construction workers[11]
Images of the
massacre started local uprisings against Muslims such revolts included burning
and vandalising shops and mosques Surving members of the roadside patrol that
were massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings They claimed that the
massacre was carried out by a group of 10 bearded guerillas with knives The
witnesses said that only one of the victims were shot and the remaining 7 vitims
were slaughtered with knives and some were even burned alive[12]
Local residents
of the village where the massacre took place do not allow family members of the
victims to visit the site[13]
On another occasion NLA separatists shut down the Lipkovo Dam leaving
tens of thousands of civilians without water for weeks
Among other crimes the NLA militants blew up the 13th-century Orthodox
monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok and is now under reconstruction
In 2001 the US recognized the NLA as a terrorist organization[citation needed]
The Macedonian side did not restrict itself to the regularities of war The
events that happened during the attack on the Albanian village of Ljuboten near
Skopje in August 2001 led to trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs
of the time Ljube Boškovski in the International War Crime Tribunal in The
Hague Six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed there
MACEDONIAN MUSLIMS
Macedonian Muslims
Македонци Муслимани
Makedonski Muslimani
Total population
40000
(some sources claim 80000-200000)
Regions with significant populations
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
Republic of Macedonia
40ndash80000
Albania
80ndash120000
Languages
Macedonian Albanian Turkish
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other ethnic Macedonians Gorani Pomaks
Bosniaks all other South Slavs
The Macedonian Muslims (Macedonian Македонци Муслимани or
Makedonski Muslimani) also known as Muslim Macedonians or Torbesh (the
later name is somewhat pejorative and means the bag carriers) are a minority
religious group within the community of ethnic Macedonians who are Sunni
Muslims although not all espouse a Macedonian national identity They have been
culturally distinct from the majority Orthodox Christian Slavic Macedonian
community for centuries
ISLAMICISATION
The Macedonian Muslims are largely the descendants of Christian
Macedonians who converted to Islam during the centuries when the Ottoman
Empire ruled the Balkans The main factor prompting their conversion was the
Ottoman Empire Non-Muslims were generally regarded by the state and Ottoman
society as being of a subordinate status They were treated differently under the
legal system being subjected to special taxes such as the jizya head tax Muslims
generally enjoyed a more favorable treatment from the law and the state For
example non-Muslims could not hold political or military office They also
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
benefited from the prestige accorded to the religion of the ruling class of the
empire - in practice Christianity was the religion of a conquered underclass
AREAS OF SETTLEMENT
The largest concentration of Macedonian Muslims is in western Macedonia
in Debar and surrounding villages in the Reka (River) region near Mavrovo some
villages near Struga and the border region with Albania The region is rather
mountainous and isolated The mountains of Shar Deshat and Mount Korab form
the northern part around the Mount Bistra massif To the south of Mount Bistra are
the mountains Stogovo and Jablanica There are smaller concentrations of
Macedonian Muslims in other places of Macedonia and Albania as well
DEMOGRAPHICS
The exact numbers of Macedonian Muslims are not easy to establish The
writer Ivo Banac estimates that in the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World
War II the Macedonian Muslim population stood at around 27000 Subsequent
censuses have produced dramatically varying figures 1591 in 1953 3002 in
1961 1248 in 1971 and 39355 in 1981 Commentators have suggested that the
latter figure includes many who previously identified themselves as Turks
Meanwhile the Association of Macedonian Muslims has claimed that since World
War II more than 70000 Macedonian Muslims have been assimilated by other
Muslim groups most notably the Albanians
LANGUAGE AND ETHNIC AFFILIATION
Like their Christian ethnic kin Macedonian Muslims speak the Macedonian
language as their first language Despite their common religion Macedonian
Muslims rarely intermarry with the countrylsquos other Muslims Macedonian
ethnologists do not consider the Muslim Slavs a separate ethnic group from the
Christian Macedonian Slavs but instead a religious minority within the
Macedonian Slav ethnic community
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
They should not be confused with the Macedonian Albanians who are an
entirely different ethnic group which is also divided into Muslim and Christian
populations
Some Turkish ethnologists have claimed that the Macedonian Muslims are
in fact Slavicized Turks although this interpretation is not widely supported The
Macedonian writer Jakim Sinadinovski has similarly claimed that the Macedonian
Muslims are not in fact Slavic Macedonians this prompted a strong reaction
when his thesis was first published in 1988
When the Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946 the ruling
Communists encouraged the Macedonian Muslims to adopt an ethnic Macedonian
identity [citation needed]
which Macedonian Christians were also compelled to accept [citation needed]
This has since led to some tensions with the Macedonian Christian
community over the widespread association between Macedonian national identity
and adherence to the Macedonian Orthodox Church
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
The principal outlet for Macedonian Muslim political activities has been the
Association of Macedonian Muslims It was established in 1970 with the support
of the authorities probably as a means of keeping Macedonian Muslim aspirations
in control
The fear of assimilation into the Albanian Muslim community has been a
significant factor in Macedonian Muslim politics amplified by the tendency of
some Macedonian Muslims to vote for Albanian candidates In 1990 the chairman
of the Macedonian Muslims organization Riza Memedovski sent an open letter to
the Chairman of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Macedonia accusing the
party of using religion to promote the Albanization of the Macedonian Muslims A
controversy broke out in 1995 when the Albanian-dominated Meshihat or council
of the Islamic community in Macedonia declared that Albanian was the official
language of Muslims in Macedonia The decision prompted protests from the
leaders of the Macedonian Muslim community
OCCUPATION
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries
The main occupation of the Macedonian Muslims is cattle breeding and
working abroad Macedonian Muslims are well-known as fresco-painters wood
carvers and mosaic-makers In the past few decades large numbers of Macedonian
Muslims have emigrated to Italy and other Western European countries