27 years since the exodus of Albanians from Kosovo
Today, it has been 27 years since the exodus of Kosovo Albanians, when during the war in 1998-1999, about one million Albanians were forced by Serbian paramilitary forces to move to Albania and Macedonia.

In addition to those displaced in Albania and Macedonia, thousands of Albanians also crossed the border with Montenegro, while hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes to find shelter in the mountains of Kosovo, reports KosovaPress.

They were children, women and elderly, violated, tortured and massacred. On every anniversary of the 1999 exodus, which took on biblical proportions, Kukës commemorates, and in the last two years also symbolically because of the pandemic, this drama of suffering among the most terrible that the people of this land have experienced.

The exodus, or the violent expulsion of Albanians from their homes, reached its peak after the start of NATO bombings against military and police points of the former Yugoslavia (Serbia and Mali te Black), reports KosovaPress.

On March 27, at 1:20 p.m., at the customs checkpoint of Vërmica/Morina, the first 187 refugees from Kosovo, most of whom were children and women, who were in a deplorable physical and mental state and were injured with strong tools such as rifles, rubber sticks, etc., passed through Kukës. Immediate measures were taken for their transportation by means of civilian and military transport by the Heads of the Kukës Prefecture. They were mainly residents of the villages of Prizren, Krushë e Madhe and Zym. At first, these refugees were sheltered in the “Hasan Prishtina” palace of culture.

Until midnight on 27.03.1999, 12,721 Kosovars arrived in Kuka. The first food aid came from the Ministry of Agriculture of Albania, where on March 27, contingents of food (oil, flour, sugar, pasta, rice, soap, etc.) were sent to Kukës for 2,500 people per month.

On March 28, the flow of Kosovars continued towards Kukës, forcibly expelled from the lands by the Serbian invaders. Their number was 13,000 inhabitants. The Kosovar refugees entered Kukës from the Vërmica/Morin crossing where they were raped, tortured, massacred and stripped by Serbian policemen, taking their money, jewelry and any valuables they had

Their temporary shelter was the “Hasan Prishtina” Palace of Culture. After that, the local government in Kukës opened the doors of some school facilities, nurseries, kindergartens, warehouses and warehouses for housing the deportees. The other refugees were sheltered in Kuksian families where they welcomed them. On average, each family in the city of Kukes had about 14 Kosovars. They slept in every part of the house.

At the beginning of the week, the second caravan of deportees with about 70,000 Kosovars arrived in Kukës. Of these, 40,000 were arranged with citizen families, 10,000 in various public areas of the city, 6,000 in the municipalities of Bicaj, Kolsh, Tërthore and Shtiqën, 12,000 in the city of Kruma and 300 in the municipality of Golaj. 16 vehicles arrived in Kukës to evacuate a part of Kosovars to other cities. Day by day the number of deportees increased. Despite sheltering in the houses of Kukës residents, a large number of Kosovars were sheltered in camps

April 16 is the date when Kukës celebrates Exodus Day, as a sign of thanks and respect for all those who open their doors to welcome their Albanian brothers from Kosovo.

One of the main symbols of April 16 is the Obelisk. The tower was built as a sign of thanks to the Albanian people. It was built in the place where the tents that housed the Kosovar population were placed. The tower is 23.5m tall and is filled with photos depicting the events of that time. The tower is one of the most visited tourist spots in Kukës. During April 16, the tower is the most frequently visited point.

To remember the days of violent displacement of Albanians from their homes and their suffering by the Serbian regime, the “Wall of Remembrance” monument and the “Hasan Prishtina” park stand at the “Bllaca ’99” Memorial Center in Han te Elezit.

The “Wall of Remembrance” monument is a mosaic that symbolizes the sacrifice of the Albanian mother, together with the names of some of the prominent world personalities who contributed to the liberation of Kosovo, an artistic-monumental work that best expresses the memory and respect for all those who brought the long-awaited freedom and independence.

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Source: prizrenpost