Fehmi Ajvazi, an eminent author from Kosovo, has shared his book ‘In the Kingdom of Death’ published in Albanian in 2012 in Pristina, and in Romanian in 2019, and was translated from Albanian to English
[In March 1999, the Serbian regime blanketed Kosovo with a contingent of 120,000 regular police, military, and civilian paramilitary forces. Just about two weeks before NATO’s intervention in Kosovo began, the region was surrounded on all sides, while pockets of the interior (villages and towns) were hit with arrests, liquidations, and massacres. Kosovo became a reservation. A kingdom called the “Kingdom of Death” established authority everywhere! However, some areas were controlled by insurgent liberation forces, and in some places, Serbian forces couldn’t penetrate. Well, the hatred between Serbs and Albanians was the same, but the bullets were the same too: they brought death to everyone, and it was no problem for the “bullet” whether the target was Albanian or Serbian. I mean, the forces of the Kosovo Liberation Army held some territory and kept it free! But about ten days before NATO planes launched their attack in their battle for Kosovo, Albanian insurgents managed to have the world’s most powerful force as their ally: the NATO alliance. However, no one had managed to master a pact with death. Just a few days before March 24th, the “Lady of Death” was the ruler of Kosovo, in reality, she was the ruler of the Albanian citizens of this extremely small territory! And for the third time in history, the state of Serbia wanted nothing more and nothing less than: the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. Over 1 million residents before March 24, 1999, challenged “this kingdom” by saying, “Here we are, your power is not the power of God!” I had decided to stay, not to leave. I was a journalist, but also a creator. And so, I had no idea what dilemmas lay in this direction, despite the open threats from the Serbs, and I knew well that they would try to wash their hands of us like Pontius Pilate! Regardless of every situation and circumstance, I sacrificed to be a witness to a time and a history without parallel! Yes, a witness…! And everything I have said and written about literary-historical conditions is in this book – a testimony. Therefore, this book is a source and my personal experience of a time I pray will never be repeated – anywhere. Just as I pray for the souls of those who did not come out alive in this “kingdom of death” in the third millennium! Read the truth about Kosovo… Author]
June, 15th
The dawn of another time graces Kosovo’s face. The anxiety of joy spreads like the morning’s aurora over the green crowns of the mountains, in the eyes of every Albanian. But this anxious joy is washed away everywhere with tear-stained cheeks, washed away with longing embraces, washed away with the sea of sorrows, the consequence of the terrors caused by Serbian criminal forces. Thousands of people, regardless of age or gender, have been killed and massacred. Thousands of others, now, are nowhere to be found.
Oh, this is the price of freedom! All of our loved ones will be missed by us all (as long as we have life). We will never see them again. For many days, if not for many years, we will live entirely torn, bewildered, anxious, amidst both sorrow and joy. Somewhere in the cosmic spheres of our minds, a significant part of our memory and spirit will disappear in the years to come as a result of this genocide. And, more or less, our physical and mental life will remain scarred forever. But, around us, like a protected nymph, freedom approaches. It (freedom) approaches like the morning star. Freedom – this guardian angel, which we have sought so much over the years and centuries, is coming to Rrafshnaltë. Two armies: the Liberation Army of Kosovo and the NATO army are marching triumphantly toward Pristina. I, along with Shpresa and Niku, are still in Veleshta. But even here where we are, the sweet waves of the gift of freedom are gathering, piece by piece. Why? Kosovo geographically isn’t far away. Nevertheless, I don’t have to hide it: I want to return as soon as possible! I want to return, even over rubble! And some families have started to return individually. But the locals, our hosts, want our return to be organized. The locals (these good people) are extremely happy about the cessation of the war in Kosovo. Yesterday, we raised a glass together with Sylejman H., Agim B., Sylë Gj., Ali A., Hyvzi K., Xheladin M., Shefki U., and many other brothers. We wished each other the end of the war and the end of Serbian occupation of Kosovo. We wished each other the arrival of freedom.
Thousands of people, regardless of age or gender, have been killed and massacred. Thousands of others, now, are nowhere to be found.
Thus, all of Struga and its surroundings are in celebration. People are celebrating and celebrating. Well, the locals, these wonderful people, as if they don’t want us to leave, to depart. They want us to still be among them, even for a day. We all have a mix of feelings, emotions, and different experiences. The longing to see Kosovo as soon as possible is an endless torment for us. But many of us will not find our loved ones alive anymore; some of our closest relatives: cousins, friends, comrades, fellow villagers. We are aware (even though we don’t want it to be true) that some of us will not find their homes as they left them, some of us will not find their neighborhoods, villages, towns as they left them.
Azemine Salihi (a mother of advanced age) from the village of Duraj in Kaçanik has lost her 4 sons, as well as the wife of one of her sons. She already knows that when she returns, she won’t find the five family members at her doorstep.
Fahrije Hamiti, a mother from a village in Gjilan (the village of Goden), will miss her eldest child, her son Sabedin, who was killed by Serbian forces at the border (above Presheva) while attempting to cross the border. But what has happened during these 78 days in Drenica, in Dukagjin, in Llap? There will be graves everywhere… Mass graves. Bodies left in the mountains and fields, abandoned. Burnt bodies, people vanished, kidnapped. From Krusha e Madhe, Gurabardhi, Carralluka, Suhareka, Gjakova, and so on. The consequences will be immeasurable. No one will be able to weigh these consequences. Time may heal some of them one day, but another part of these consequences will remain an indelible scar in our hearts, in our eyes.
June, 17th
The international military mission is called KFOR. The “Collective Guardian” operation by 19 NATO member countries is anchoring in the territory of Kosovo, based on a military implementation plan divided into five zones. It appears that my hometown will belong to the Eastern zone, which will be led by the United States Army. This military mission is being eagerly awaited by the people with tears, with flowers, with applause. Understandably, the emotions are indescribable.
The NATO forces, just like the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army), are treated by the people as saviors, and in this treatment, there is a lot of warmth, sincerity, and gratitude. I would pray very much (personally) that this relationship between us and the international forces, which is being formed in extraordinary circumstances, remains like this for a long time: friendly and peaceful.
I would like to build good, stable, and enduring relations with the international community and NATO forces. But there will be many challenges. Current and future relations will not be viewed favorably by circles with an old anti-Albanian disposition, and serious efforts will be made by Belgrade and its allies to disrupt the relations between Albanians and the international community, to make them strained, unstable, and hostile. These relationships will be harmed whenever possible, leading to serious tensions.
The current atmosphere in Kosovo and among Albanians, the great turning point in the situation, will shake Belgrade to its core. Why? The ongoing occupation and depopulation of Kosovo by Belgrade have finally come to a halt. NATO’s military action, in fact, the political-military aspect of NATO’s intervention, in the background, apart from ending the occupation and genocide, also has “evidence” of the international agenda to introduce humanity into the new world order of the 21st century. One of the proofs of this agenda is the transcendence of state sovereignty. This can be explained or translated into the “language” of international realistic policies, related to the truth that “state sovereignty” will no longer be considered as absolute. Thus, in the international family of states, more rules will be established; no state will be allowed to act or do as it pleases within its borders. The free and democratic world, democratic opinion, free and democratic society, is showing solidarity with Kosovo’s victory, meaning, with the victory of progressive-liberating forces against the forces of evil, against destructive forces, against Serbian military and paramilitary forces.
However, the future years of Kosovo, the years that frame and must also legitimize Kosovo’s political status, will not be easy at all. Kosovo, initially, has an incomparable need to rise or recover. It needs to be stabilized and carefully governed so that things fall into place. “Kosovo’s affairs” are shattered and ruined, scarred and bloodied, massacred. Therefore, Kosovo’s path to the future will not be strewn with laurel wreaths, despite the current victory. Freedom and peace, development, governance will not be easy to establish on sustainable foundations. Today, freedom is the “spirit” of our lives. But in the future, we all need to place a stone in the bloodied walls of Kosovo to rebuild our overturned lives, our ruined, looted, and burned country.
The concept of a unified policy, stable governance based on democratic principles and the rule of law, should be the goal of every resident of Kosovo, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. These lines of purpose should be as institutionalized and crystallized as possible in the perspective, based on principles of duties and responsibilities rooted in results and accountability. And, this entire corpus of historical perspectives should be our daily awareness, both individual and collective.
June, 18th
In Pristina, according to the information provided, the Government of Kosovo has also been established. This government has emerged as a result of the Rambouillet Conference. At its helm is Hashim Thaçi, the head of the Political Directorate of the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army).
June, 19th
The sweet scent of freedom is spreading everywhere among the Albanians. The sweet scent of freedom is a burst of hearts, arising from our people’s long resistance for freedom. Lately, this is a burst disseminated by the unparalleled political-civil resistance, by the unparalleled politico-military resistance of the Kosovo Liberation Army. This sweet scent of freedom is also attributed to our brothers and sisters everywhere: in Albania, in Macedonia, etc. The dear Noli used to say, “Only when the crows’ nests are illuminated, my son, then, then Mother Albania will forget her children.” On the other hand, the active role of the international community, NATO’s military intervention, has given a powerful historical hue to this aroma. Ah, not by chance, freedom has the most supreme price of all that we see and touch. Our freedom has taken in its bosom (irreversibly) many of our brothers and sisters, many mothers and fathers, many children, many soldiers and commanders. Kosovo has burned and boiled like rarely in its tumultuous history. But above all, our Kosovo will always remain in our minds as an extraordinary battle of sacrifice and glory. (Continues)
Click here for Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6, Part-7, Part-8, Part-9, Part-10, Part-11, Part-12, Part-13, Part-14, Part-15, Part-16, Part-17, Part-18, Part-19, Part-20, Part-21, Part-22, Part-23, Part-24, Part-25, Part-26, Part-27, Part-28, Part-29, Part-30, Part-31, Part-32, Part-33, Part-34, Part-35,
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[The book ‘In the Kingdom of Death’ is being reproduced in episodes with the consent of the author]
