The insurgency in the Preševo Valley was an approximately two year-long armed conflict between 12 June 1999 until 1 June 2001, between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian separatists of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB). There were instances during the conflict in which the Yugoslav government requested Kosovo Force (KFOR) support in suppressing UÇPMB attacks since they could only use lightly armed military forces as part of the Kumanovo Treaty that ended the Kosovo War, which created a buffer zone between FR Yugoslavia and Kosovo.
Background
Before the insurgency, Preševo Valley was home to approximately 100,000 people, of whom 70,000 were Albanians and another 30,000 Serbs. Albanians make up to 95% of Preševo, 63% of Bujanovac and 26% of Medveđa population. The Albanian-populated region became a part of Serbia in 1913, after the First Balkan War.
From 1945–46, Preševo and Bujanovac were a part of the newly established Autonomous Oblast of Kosovo and Metohija inside the Federated State of Serbia. In 1946 they were transferred to Central Serbia in exchange for a part of Serb inhabited modern-day North Kosovo. During the breakup of Yugoslavia, on 1 and 2 March 1992 Albanians from Preševo Valley held a referendum about their future status in Serbia. 97% of voters demanded autonomy for the valley and the right to join the Republic of Kosova. The Serbian government rejected the referendum, declaring it as unconstitutional and illegal.
In 1992–93, ethnic Albanians created the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which started attacking police forces and secret-service officials in retaliation for the abuse of Albanian civilians in 1995. According to Serbian officials, the KLA killed 10 policemen and 24 civilians from 1996 to February 1998. After escalating tensions between increasing Yugoslav security forces and the KLA, the Kosovo War started in February 1998.
The war itself was a parallel conflict between the Yugoslav Army and the KLA. It began in February 1998 and ended on 10 June 1999, when the Kumanovo Agreement was signed. According to the agreement, KFOR troops, supervised by the United Nations, would enter as a peacekeeping force, while Yugoslav Army forces were to withdraw. It was agreed that the KLA would disband by 19 September 1999. According to the agreement, there would be a demilitarized zone around Kosovo, five-kilometer wide, which served as a buffer zone between KFOR troops and the Yugoslav army. Only light-armed Serbian police members were allowed to patrol the area. This buffer zone was used by Albanian guerrillas for attacks against Serbian forces. The Preševo valley conflict erupted in June 1999, but there was no major fighting until 2000.
Ground Safety Zone
With the signing of the Kumanovo agreement, the provisions designed the creation of a 5-kilometre-wide safety zone around Kosovo's border and into the FRY if necessary. A 25-kilometre-wide air safety zone was also designed by the provisions of the agreement. Only lightly armed police in groups of up to ten were allowed to patrol, and banned the FRY from using planes, tanks or any other heavier weapons. The GSZ consisted of 5 sectors:
- Sector C west – from Plav to the Albanian border
- Sector A – from Rožaje to Medveđa
- Sector D – parts of Medveđa, Leskovac, Lebane and Vranje municipalities
- Sector B – from Medveđa to Preševo
- Sector C east – border with Macedonia to village of Norča
UÇPMB
Shortly after the arrival of KFOR in Kosovo in June 1999, a new Albanian militant insurgent group called the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), began training in the GSZ, which was witnessed by the KFOR. It was led by Shefket Musliu. The group began attacking Serbian civilians and police, with the goal of joining Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac into Kosovo.
Due to the FRY's inability to use any heavy weapons against the UÇPMB, the group expanded and occupied all villages related to Sectors B and C east, with the exception of Gramada. They divided the sectors into three zones:
- North zone – Muhovac (command), Ravno Bučje, Pribovce, Zarbince, Suharno, Đorđevac, Čar
- Center zone – Veliki Trnovac (command), Breznica, Mali Trnovac, Dobrosin, Končulj, Lučane, Turija
- South zone – Bukovac, Gospođince, Mađare, Ilince, Depce, Masurica, Sefer, Kurbalija, Gornja Šušaja, Karadak
The North zone was commanded by Muhamet Xhemajli, the Center zone was commanded by Ridvan Qazimi, and the South zone was commanded by commanded by Shaqir Shaqiri. After his arrest in 2001, he was replaced with Mustafa Shaqiri. The UÇPMB only attacked Serbs from a distance with mortars, so the Serbs couldn't respond.
History
1999
After the KLA disbanded according to the peace agreement that ended Kosovo War, its veterans and members founded the UÇPMB in a village of Dobrosin. Their goal was the secession of three Albanian populated municipalities from Serbia and their annexation to Kosovo. Fighting between police and separatist began in June 1999 in the municipality of Kuršumlija, and later spread to Medveđa, Bujanovac and Preševo. The UÇPMB established many bases in mountains and plains around the towns of Bujanovac and Preševo. The militants were centered in the village of Veliki Trnovac. Because of restricted movement in that area, police and army were unable to stop them. On 21 November two policeman were killed by land mine. Serbs responded on attacks with more checkpoints and patrols. During 1999, rebels did not enter an open conflict with the police. Instead, they battled them with the mortars from the distance, so Serbs were unable to respond.
2000
Conflict escalated in 2000. On 16 January, three Serbs civilians from village Pasjane were killed by rebels in a Ground Safety Zone on a road Gjilan–Preševo. The UÇPMB made their first appearance on 26 January 2000, at the funeral of two Albanian brothers who had been killed in a firefight between the Serbian police and Albanian residents in Dobrosin. On 4-5 March, the UÇPMB attacked Dobrosin, resulting in clashes with Serb policemen. During the fighting, 175 civilians were displaced from the village and fled to neighbouring Kosovo. During the battle one UÇPMB insurgent and one Serb policeman were killed, while two Serb policemen were wounded.
In July 2000, the UÇPMB clashed with Serbian security forces in an attempt to take over the town of Bujanovac. The battle was conducted in the areas of Končulj, Dobrosin, Lučane and Devojačka Čuka as well as in the wider area around Mali Trnovac, Muhovac and Đorđevac. After the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević, the new government requested that NATO and KFOR suspend the demilitarized zone around Kosovo, in fear that a new war could erupt. Vojislav Koštunica wanted the US to reduce or disband the zone.
The fighting intensified in November 2000, when the police, under the influence of a threefold strength of the UÇPMB, withdrew from the security checkpoints that were fought, occupying defensive positions closer to Bujanovac. On 21 November, about 500 guerrillas were unhindered from Kosovo to the municipality of Bujanovac, and in addition to the presence of strong forces of the American KFOR contingent with the administrative line of Serbia and Kosovo. In the period from 12:25 –17:00 on 21 November, Albanians committed synchronized attacks on the Dobrosin security checkpoint, and on the positions of the police on the corners of Devojačka Čuka and Osoje. Three policemen were killed and five wounded by sniper fire from the UÇPMB. After the shooting, the Ministry of Affairs conducted a counter-terrorism operation.
On 22 November, ten Albanians were detained by KFOR. The bodies of four killed Serbian policemen were found near the village of Končulj, several others were wounded. On 23 November, KFOR troops closed the demilitarised border zone. Albanian rebels carried out an attack with 5 mines from mortars and brownies to the police patrol in the village of Djordjevac. On 24 November, the Serbian government threatened to send in their forces to the demilitarized region if KFOR had not found a way to end the attacks by 72 hours. Božo Prelević, one of Serbia's three interior ministers, said Serbian police would return to the zone "with all available means" unless a deadline to end the attacks end was met. On 25 November, a KFOR–mediated ceasefire was reached.
From 30–31 December, on the road from Gjian–Preševo, the UÇPMB took six Serbian civilians hostage. They were all released shortly after through the mediation of the KFOR and Yugoslavia.
2001
On 5 February, the fiercest fighting in the Preševo valley happened since the end of the 1999 Kosovo conflict. The Yugoslav army exchanged artillery fire for several hours across the internationally imposed buffer zone next to the border with Kosovo. On 16 February, near the border town of Podujevo, seven Serb civilians were killed after a Niš-Ekspres bus with refugees from Kosovo was blown up by the UÇPMB. After that, on 7 March 2001, KFOR agreed to allow Serb military to reoccupy the GSZ section by section. In one village where the UÇPMB still stood, a guerrilla fighter died in an accidental explosion. At the same time Albanian guerrillas started mutiny in Republic of Macedonia. During the March one-week ceasefire was agreed again, after four policeman were killed.
The army first entered the section on a border with Republic of Macedonia (Sector C East), in order to stop illegal arms smuggling. Afterwards KFOR allowed Serbs to return to Sector C West and A on 25 March, and zone D on 14 April. On 21 May Albanian commanders signed the Končulj agreement and agreed to disarm, but many continued to fight. Last section was around Preševo (sector B). On 24 May, the Serbian army entered the town, although Albanian fighters were attacking them. There, one of the rebel commanders, Ridvan Qazimi "Lleshi" was killed. It is not clear whether he was killed by police or by other insurgents. After the Serb victory, the UÇPMB agreed to disarm. During the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia, the UÇPMB continuously funded and supported the NLA until there disarmament on 21 May 2001. Some of its veterans joined newly formed National Liberation Army in Republic of Macedonia. Around 400 guerrillas surrendered in order to get the pardon from the Yugoslav government. UÇPMB commander Shefket Musliu surrendered to KFOR on 26 May. Until August 2001, there were around 1,160 attacks on Serb police and civilians.
Čović's Plan
In February 2001, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Head of Coordination Center for Southern Serbia Nebojša Čović proposed a plan for resolving the crisis in Preševo Valley. The plan called for joint police forces of local ethnic Albanians and Serbs, in proportion to the ethnic groups' populations in the area. The proposal also called for integrating the valley's ethnic Albanian population into mainstream Serbian political and social life. It also offered civil rights guarantees and promises of economic development. The plan didn’t provide autonomy for the region or possible annexation to Kosovo. Instead, it is provided decentralisation to local authorities. The plan also called for demilitarisation of the Preševo Valley and disbandment of UÇPMB. All rebel controlled areas should be returned to Serbia. Every rebel that surrenders will be promised a pardon from the Yugoslav government. The plan was accepted, and Albanians signed the demilitarization agreement in a village of Končulj.
Operation Return
Return of the Yugoslav Army to Sector C – East
At 06:30 on 14 March 2001, the return of the Јoint Security Forces to the GSZ, Sector C (East Charlie), from the outer line of this zone, started. The Yugoslav forces were deployed west, from the Preševo-Miratovac line, in three directions: towards the villages of Miratovac, Norča and Trnava. Lieutenant-General Lieutenant-General Ninoslav Krstić was led by Lieutenant-General Lieutenant-Colonel Ninoslav Krstic. The Chief of the General Staff of the VJ, Lieutenant-General Nebojsa Pavković, Commander of the Third Army, Lieutenant General Vladimir Lazarević, Commander of the Priština Corps Major General Radojko Stefanović, General Obrad Stevanović and several other Yugoslav Army officers. The return operation was followed by the President of the FRY Coordination Body for South Serbia Nebojša Čović and members of the Coordination Body Mica Markovic and Milovan Čogurić. Entering sector C, on the triple border of Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo, it was free of incidents.