The Holiday of Violence in Macedonia

The latest surge of violence that marked the May 1 holiday induced majority of citizens to put the question that once Branko Copic asked himself: are "black horses" and "black horsemen" galloping across Macedonia?

AIM Skopje, May 3, 2001

Albanian extremists made themselves heard after a ceasefire that lasted for a month. In the region of the village Vejce up in Sara mountain 20 kilometres from Tetovo, the severest incident so far occurred: a patrol of Macedonian army and police was attacked and eight persons were killed on Saturday. Six wounded men were taken to military hospital in Skopje. The policemen and members of special army units ran into an ambush. Armed Albanians shot from automatic weapons and "zolja" type mortars. Two armoured vehicles of the security forces were destroyed. Four killed policemen were from Bitolj, and four members of special unit called "Vuci" (Wolves) were from different parts of Macedonia.

At the extraordinary session of the government on Sunday afternoon it was established that the situation in the country was deteriorating. Government spokesman Antonio Milososki said that the cabinet appealed once more on KFOR forces to carry out their obligations resulting from United Nations resolution. The government proclaimed April 30 the day of national mourning. To the question of journalists whether the ministers from the Democratic Party of the Albanians supported the government decisions, the spokesman made it clear that the government unanimously condemned the massacre.

Foreign minister Dosta Dimovska said to the journalists after the session that a “terrorist group, which had come from Kosovo in order to commit the terrible terrorist act, launched the attack on members of security forces near village Vejce It was reconfirmed that the cooperation with KFOR has improved, but activities on the other side of the border were obviously still insufficient because the raid came from the side of Kosovo", said Dimovska.

In the evening that day President Trajkovski convened a session of the National Security Council which was attended by the leader of the opposition Social Democratic League Branko Crvenkovski (who is not a member of the Council). The office of the President did not manage to establish contact with the leader of the opposition Party of Democratic Prosperity Imer Imeri and invite him to the session too.

After the end of the session none of its participants spoke to the journalists. An official statement was distributed which said that it was "estimated that the security situation was deteriorated by the brutal terrorist act near the village of Vejce. The anti-terrorist act against humanity and values of democracy was sharply condemned. The council considered and adopted measures of the government aimed at elimination of terrorist groups on Macedonian territory and prevention of possible new terrorist attacks. It was established that terrorist activities of Albanian extremists have nothing to do with democratic political dialogue in the country or with political relations and rights of members of ethnic groups. On the contrary. Brutal violence is directed against these very values. The Council proposed to President Trajkovski and the government to demand resolutely that such extremist formations be proclaimed and treated as terrorist in accordance with the principles of international law. An urgent appeal was addressed to the international community, especially to KFOR and UNMIK administration "to carry out obligations resulting from their mandate in Kosovo with maximum earnestness".

The head of the state had previously condemned the massacre against members of security forces in Vejce calling it a shameful act that had nothing in common with the political demands of the Albanians. He at the same time addressed a message to the citizens that time had come for all the forces to unite in the effort "to win the battle against terrorism on every foot of Macedonian ground". "I wish to convince every citizen that members of the army and the police have no doubts and that we will cope with this evil", said Trajkovski.

Concerning the attack of the extremists on the patrol of the security forces, all significant political parties in Macedonia sharply condemned it, almost with no exception. The parties which articulate political interest of ethnic Macedonians unanimously advocated a resolute show down with extremism.

On the other hand, Democratic Party of the Albanians as a coalition partner in the government wrote in its statement that it was "horrified by the irrational murder" marking it as destructive and at the same time expressing conviction that peace, tolerance, and coexistence have no alternative". Allegedly leader of DPA Arben Xhaferi, expressing sorrow because of the victims, said to the President of the Republic in a telephone call: "May God help us!"

Leadership of the opposition Party of Democratic Prosperity expressed regret that arms had been picked up again because this could not bring a solution, but nevertheless stated the opinion that the attack against members of security forces was the result of ineffective negotiations on the problems of the Albanians.

In the night between Monday and Tuesday 40 shops and stalls owned by local Albanians and Macedonian Muslims were demolished and set on fire in Bitolj. Several hours before that on Monday, four members of security forces who had been killed were buried, and this is believed to have been the immediate cause of violence. A few hundred perpetrators committed the attack. A young Macedonian was shot through the stomach and he will survive. He was shot in the vicinity of “Suzi” cafe which is owned by Kasim Rasimovski who had, together with his sons, opposed the group of a few ten attackers.

The following night another ten shops and cafes – also owned by Albanians and Muslim Macedonians - were demolished in the bazaar in Bitolj.

“Suzi” cafe and the house owned by Kamber Rasimovski were set on fire. Rasimovski and his two sons were arrested and taken to the Bitolj police station early in the morning on Tuesday. The cafe in the nearby village of Kravari was set on fire, too. Its owner is another ethnic Albanian recently convicted for smuggling arms and narcotics.

The house of deputy minister of health Muharem Nexhipi, presidential candidate from the ranks of the Democratic Party of Albanians in the elections in autumn 1999, is guarded by strong police forces. Curfew was introduced in the city in the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

The government reacted to the developments in Bitolj with the assessment of its spokesman Antonio Milososki who appealed on the citizens to restrain themselves from similar actions because with them they in fact played into the hands of “terrorists who will achieve their goal in this way and it is destabilisation of Macedonia by means of citizens' conflicts on interethnic grounds”. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE expressed a similar stand stressing that such scenes did not benefit the citizens of Macedonia and peaceful policy of the country.

The coalition partner in power, Democratic Party of the Albanians appeared with its statement: “Signs of extremist ethnic polarisation are evident and increasingly alarming. Setting on fire and demolishing of the shops that belong to the Albanians, whether we wish it or not, reminds of the “crystal night” when Jewish shops were demolished in the same way in Germany. This leads to a very dangerous trend of collectivisation of guilt, ethnic polarisation and civil war”, warned the Democratic Party of the Albanians.

Skopje was not spared the violence either. Three separate incidents occurred in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. Unknown masked attackers killed one and beat up two persons of Albanian ethnic origin when they broke into a cafe owned by an ethnic Albanian in Porta Vlaje. A shop owned by an Albanian was attacked in Djorce Petrovpri and the personnel were maltreated by masked attackers (!), but nobody was killed. Almost simultaneously, from a moving car the building of Albanian embassy was shot at with a burst from automatic weapons. Nobody was hurt in the incident thanks to pure mere luck.

That same night a hairdresser's owned by an Albanian was attacked in Delcevo. A shop owned by an Albanian family in Kocani was attacked, and according to unofficial information, the family moved away from the town. In Vinica a shop of a family that had moved a few years ago from Dragas in Kosovo was set on fire; the unknown attacker thought they were Albanian. The Islamic Community of Macedonia published a statement in which it says that it regrets because of the killing of members of security forces, but also resents setting the mosques in Bitolj and Veles on fire...

The spiral of violence has obviously been set in motion. Optimists believe that President Trajkovski will return from Washington with a magic formula how to stop it. Or perhaps the assembly will do it at its session scheduled for Friday where the security situation in the country will be discussed.

The ordinary citizens – Macedonian, Albanian, equally – cannot but wonder: what will happen next?

ZELJKO BAJIC

(AIM)