Past Issues

The pain, resistance, and sacrifice of a people to gain their fundamental human rights. A memory for those who fell and the bitter reality of the last war in Kosovo.

1998 - 1999

The Agony of Survival

The conflict in Kosovo culminated in the late 90s, turning into an open war between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Serbian forces.

The brutal response of Milošević's regime included ethnic cleansing, massacres of civilians, and systematic destruction of homes. Citizens were forcibly expelled, crossing borders into Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro in search of safety.

NATO's intervention in March 1999 was the decisive moment that stopped the genocide and led to the liberation of Kosovo in June of the same year.

War Crimes

Massacres of Civilians

Events such as the Račak massacre, Prekaz, Krusha e Madhe, and Meja, where innocent civilians were brutally executed simply because of their nationality.

Ethnic Cleansing

More than a million people were forcibly expelled from their homes. The columns of refugees across mountains and borders remain the most traumatic image of that time.

Destruction of Property

Tens of thousands of houses burned and deliberately destroyed so that Albanians would have nowhere to return.

Sexual Violence

The use of rape as a weapon of war, a hidden and unspoken wound of the conflict.

Conflict Timeline

1998

Beginning of major Serbian offensives in Drenica. The Likoshan and Qirez massacre marks the start of armed resistance.

January 1999

Račak Massacre. The discovery of 45 killed civilians provokes an international reaction and preparation for intervention.

March 1999

Start of NATO bombing on the FRY. Beginning of the massive expulsion of the Albanian population by the infamous train towards Macedonia.

June 1999

Signing of the Kumanovo Agreement. Entry of KFOR forces into Kosovo and end of the war. Liberation of the country.