Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia

Insurgency in Macedonia Date January – November 2001 Location Polog region of the Republic of Macedonia near the border with Albania and FR Yugoslavia (Kosovo) Result Ohrid Agreement signed, ceasefire established, Albanian militants agree to disarm in exchange for greater ethnic rights. Belligerents National Liberation Army (NLA)  Macedonia Commanders and leaders Ali Ahmeti Samidin Xhezairi Ahmet Krasniqi Rrahim Beqiri Boris Trajkovski Ljubčo Georgievski Ljube Boškoski Vlado Bučkovski Strength 5,000 - 7,000 insurgents 15,000[1] Casualties and losses 64 killed (Macedonian claim) 11 Killed (NLA claim) 63 Killed (Macedonian claim) 88 Killed (NLA claim) Civilian casualties: 70 dead (60 ethnic Albanians, 10 ethnic Macedonians) Other: 2 EU monitors[2] 1 UK soldier killed[3]

Insurgency in Macedonia Battle of Tetovo - Operation Essential Harvest - Ohrid Agreement

The insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia (January – November 2001) was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group attacked the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the beginning of January 2001. The conflict lasted throughout most of the year, although overall casualties remained limited to several dozen for either side, according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict.

Overview

Beginning of the Albanian insurgency

The first actions by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia occurred in late 2000 and early 2001, mainly along Macedonia's border with then-United Nations-administered 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, non-Albanian population were forced to leave.^[4] 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 – and then the situation was almost immediately out of control, in fact so much that the government was taken by surprise.^[4]

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 – 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, including Islamic fundamentalists, foreign mercenaries and mujaheddin. 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 haven” where they could pull back in the case of larger Macedonian actions against them.^[4]

Macedonian reprisals

After 8 members of the Macedonian arms forces were massacred at Vejce, Macedonians took to the streets of some towns, attacking and setting on fire Albanian-owned shops and mosques. Such attacks took place mainly in Prilep, Skopje and Bitola.^[5] Local Macedonian citizens in Prilep demanded weapons to attack neighboring Albanian-populated villages after 10 citizens, Macedonians and Roma, were killed in a ambush. Those targeted in the attacks were Albanians.

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 25.3 percent of the population. Those rights include making Albanian language the second 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.^[6]

Bust dedicated to a fallen Macedonian soldier in Makedonska Kamenica

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.^[7] No definitive NLA casualty figures were cited at the time. On December 25, 2001, the Alternative Information Network^[8] 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 while possibly about ten ethnic Macedonians died during the conflict (Macedonian authorities did not release figures for the latter at the time).^[9] As of December 2005^[update], the fate of twenty "disappeared" civilians —13 ethnic Macedonians, six ethnic Albanians and one Bulgarian citizen— remains unknown.^[10] By August 2001, the number of people displaced, mostly Macedonians, by the war reached 170,000 of which 74,000 displaced internally. As of January 2004^[update], 2,600 remained displaced.^[11] Two European Union monitors were killed during the conflict. One British soldier was also killed.

NLA Freedom Museum

As a result of the conflict, some Albanians of Čair Municipality in Skopje established in 2008 a 'Museum of Freedom' presenting what they consider battles of the Albanians in the region from the period of the Prizren League in 1878 until the 2001 insurgency.^[12] It is also known as the NLA Museum and commemorates those who died during the conflict. Items include paramilitary clothing and insurgent flags used in 2001. Many Albanians see it as a non-military continuation of the uprising. Former NLA leader turned politician, Ali Ahmeti stated at the opening ceremony “My heart tells me that history is being born right here, in Skopje, the ancient city in the heart of Dardania. Our patriots have fought for it for centuries, but it is us today who have the destiny to celebrate the opening of the museum. Fighters from Kosovo are here to congratulate us...” The museum is still not fully furnished.

Recent developments

There is a possibility that the violence might return. In April 2010, a weapon cache believed to be intended for the group actions was discovered near the border with Serbia, it included uniforms with UÇK marks. On May 12, four people have been killed by Macedonian police, in a village close to Kosovo. Police seized four bags of explosives, anti-infantry mines and other weapons. The militants killed were wearing black uniforms and Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) insignia was found in the vehicle^[13]. The days after, as Macedonia petitioned Kosovo for informations 70 criminal suspects linked to ethnic Albanian criminal gang, 4 men, a father and his three sons, were arrested for illegal weapons possessions. The 4 men were linked to the men killed on May 12^[14].

Alleged war crimes

Other crimes were like that of a three-day operation by Macedonian police against the ethnic Albanian village of Ljuboten, from August 10-12, 2001, which left ten civilians dead and resulted in the arrest of more than 100 men, many of whom were severely beaten and tortured while in police custody.^[15] According to the Macedonian government there was a presence of Albanian National Liberation Army in the village; however, the Human Rights Watch investigation on the ground in Ljuboten found no direct evidence of this. However these events led to the trial of the Macedonian minister of internal affairs of the time, Ljube Boškoski, in the International War Crime Tribunal in The Hague.^[15]. Eventually he was found not guilty.^[16]

The bombing of the 13th-century Orthodox monastery Sveti Atanasij in the village of Lesok^[17] however no one has ever claimed responsibility for the attack and Albanian guerrilla officials have demised all responsibility and placed the blame on Macedonian special forces saying it was another poor attempt to link the NLA to Islamic extremism. However closer to the pile of rubble that had once been one of the most revered religious sites for the Macedonian Orthodox Church lay a dead donkey, its bloated body daubed with paint spelling out the letters UCK, the Albanian initials for the rebel National Liberation Army.^[18] This incident is to this day disputed and the monastery is now under reconstruction.^[19] On the other hand, the Macedonian forces destroyed a mosque in the village of Neprosteno and was rebuilt in 2003 with funding from the EU. The monastery at Matejce, near Kumanovo, was also damaged in the fighting, but the church of St. Virgin Hodegetria was damaged by the Albanian terrorists who spay-painted and carved anti-Christianity and KLA symbols into the 14th-century fresco. Similar attacks on the Serb churches and monasteries in Kosovo were carried out by Albanians.^[20]

Another incident which is claimed by Macedonian government to be a war crime was that of the so-called Vejce massacre where Albanian guerrillas ambushed and killed 8 Macedonian forces. After setting up and ambush and attacking their lightly armoured Humvee vehicles with small arms fire and RPG’s the patrol stopped and Macedonian forces and guerrillas exchanged fire in a short skirmish, after soldiers started retreating half of the patrol managed to escape one soldier was shot and others captured. 4 of the victims were executed with cold steal weapons, with their genitalia removed and 4 of them were torched alive. News of the massacre sparked local uprisings against Muslim Albanians in several towns and cities across Macedonia, and such revolts included burning and vandalising shops and Mosques. Surviving members of the roadside patrol that was massacred gave eyewitness testimony of the killings. They claimed that the massacre was carried out by a group of 15-20 bearded men. Till this day the bodies were not released to the public or civilian investigators and autopsies were carried out in a military morgue.^{[21][22][23][24]}

See also

• Ohrid Agreement
• Operation Essential Harvest
• Preševo valley crisis
• Operation Mountain Storm

References

External links

• Casualties and displacement
• "Macedonia: Step back from the abyss", BBC, December 29, 2001
• "Macedonia: Understanding History, Preventing Future Conflict", United States Institute of Peace, Special Report No. 115, February, 2004
• "Macedonia's Civil War: 'Made in the USA'", Antiwar.com, August 20, 2001
• Chronology of the war
• Youtube video of an ethnic standof in Tetovo CTV
• Battles -9/2001
• Battles - 3/2001
• Macedonia On Brink of War - 6/2001
• Macedonia On War Footing Over Kosovo Border Provocations
• November Battles, Start of War, January 2 2001
• 2002 attacks
• Boskovki interview
• War in the Balkans, again?