Insurgency in the Preševo Valley

Preševo Valley Insurgency
Part of the Yugoslav Wars
Date 12 June 1999 – 1 June 2001[1] (1 year, 11 months, 2 weeks and 6 days) Location Preševo, Bujanovac, and Medveđa, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia Result Decisive Yugoslav victory[2] Peace between the Serbian government and the Albanians in south Serbia UÇPMB disbanded Konculj Agreement[3] Former UCPMB and KLA veterans regroup and form the NLA Start of 2001 Macedonia Insurgency
Belligerents
UÇPMB  Albania	FR Yugoslavia Yugoslav Army Yugoslav Air Force Red Berets Special Anti-terrorist Unit
Commanders and leaders
Muhamet Xhemajli (UÇPMB commander) Ridvan Qazimi Lleshi  † (Second UÇPMB commander) Shefket Musliu (UÇPMB chief)[4] Pacir Shicri (UÇPMB spokesman)[5] Tahir Dalipi (UÇPMB spokesman) Yonuzu Musliu Mustafa Shaqiri Nagip Ali Orhan Rexhepi Lirim Jukupi	Slobodan Milošević (President of FR Yugoslavia, 1999–2000) Vojislav Koštunica (Second President of Yugoslavia, 2000–2001) Nebojša Pavković (Chief of the General Staff) Ninoslav Krstić (General of the Army) Goran Radosavljević (Police General) Milorad Ulemek (Secret police)
Strength
1,600 insurgents[6]	3,500 soldiers and policemen 100 JSO members
Casualties and losses
27 insurgents killed[7] 50 insurgents surrendered to KFOR[8]	18 soldiers and policemen killed 68 soldiers and policemen wounded
25 Serbian civilians killed 37 civilians wounded[9][10] Two observers wounded

The Insurgency in the Preševo Valley was an armed conflict between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian insurgents^[11][12][13] of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB).^[14] There were instances during the conflict in which the Yugoslav government requested 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 so that the bulk of Yugoslav armed forces could not enter.^[15]

The Yugoslav president, Vojislav Koštunica, often warned that fresh fighting would erupt if KFOR units did not act to prevent the attacks coming from the UÇPMB.^[16]

Background

The Kosovo War was a parallel conflict between the Yugoslav Army and the Kosovo Liberation Army. It began in February 1998 and ended on 10 June 1999 when the Kumanovo Treaty was signed. According to the treaty, KFOR troops, supervised by the United Nations, would enter as a peacekeeping force, while Yugoslav military forces were to withdraw. It was agreed that the KLA would disband by 19 September 1999.^[17] The Preševo valley conflict erupted in June 1999.

Casualties

Yugoslav

During the conflict, 18 members of the Yugoslav security forces were killed and 68 were wounded. 8 civilians were also killed.^[18] Some of the deaths were caused by mines.^[1]

UÇPMB

The number of UÇPMB casualties have been debated. Five insurgents were killed according to the UÇPMB.^[19] The Yugoslav government, however, reported that 30-40 insurgents were killed. About 45 Albanian insurgents surrendered to KFOR.^[5]

Other casualties

Two UN observers were wounded according to reports.

See also

• 2001 insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia
• 2004 unrest in Kosovo
• Kosovo independence precedent

References

1. "Mine kills Serb police". BBC News. October 14, 2000.
2. David Holley (25 May 2001). "Yugoslavia Occupies Last of Kosovo Buffer". LA Times. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
3. http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/europe/balkans/serbia/152-southern-serbias-fragile-peace.aspx
4. "Rebel Albanian chief surrenders". BBC News. May 26, 2001.
5. "British K-For troops under fire". BBC News. January 25, 2001.
6. "Kosovo rebels accept peace talks". BBC News. February 7, 2001.
7. "Remembrance of the recent past". The Economist. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
8. "Serbs retake Kosovo buffer zone". BBC. 24 May 2001. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
9. Yugoslav troops advance in buffer zone, brace for backlash from top rebel's death, Stars and Stripes, May 26, 2001
10. Number of Serbian soldiers in Presevo Valley during the conflict
11. Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency, Henry H. Perritt
12. Reflections on the Balkan Wars: Ten Years After the Break-up of Yugoslavia, Jeffrey S. Morton, Stefano Bianchini, Craig Nation, Paul Forage
13. War in the Balkans, 1991–2002, R. Craig Nation
14. Morton, Jeffrey S. (2004). Reflections on the Balkan Wars. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 57. ISBN 1-4039-6332-0.
15. "Renewed clashes near Kosovo border". BBC News. January 28, 2001.
16. "Kostunica warns of fresh fighting". BBC News. January 29, 2001.
17. "KLA future in the balance". BBC News. September 7, 1999.
18. "Uhapšeni Albanci otimali i kasapili Srbe". Večernje Novosti. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
19. "Serbian forces push rebels out of Albanian village". USA Today. 2 July 2001. Retrieved 5 May 2010.

External links

• Partos, Gabriel (2001-02-02). "Presevo valley tension". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2008-01-26.

Coordinates: 42°18′20″N 21°38′34″E / 42.3056°N 21.6428°E