UCDP

General information

Part of Conflict: Serbia (Yugoslavia): Kosovo

Date of first stated goals of incompatibility: 1998-02-19
Comment on date of first stated goal of incompatibility: In mid-February, in the week following bomb attacks against several Serbian refugee camps in Kosovo, the UCK took on the responsibility and issued a public statement. The announcement read that the actions were a warning to the Yugoslavian government to stop the colonization of Kosovo, the expelling of Albanians from there, as well as the Serbian terror against them.

In August, a communiqué was issued from the UCK leading staff, stating that they would not lay down arms until the Kosovo territory occupied by the Yugoslav government was liberated.

In early January 1998, the UCK announced its decision to achieve separatism for the province through armed resistance against the Serbian authorities.

Date of first use of armed force: 1996-02-11
Comment on date of first use of armed force: On 11 February, a series of bombs exploded in several Serbian refugee camps in different towns in Kosovo. A couple of days later, the UCK took on the responsibility. UCK attacks on Yugoslav policemen increased during the summer.
First Battle Related Death: 1996-04-22
Comment on First Battle Related Death: On 22 April a serbian policeman was killed in Shtime.

Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1998-03-06
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: In January 1998, Serbian security forces were dispatched to Kosovo with the aim of quelling UCK activity. In late February, four members of the Serbian security forces were killed by the UCK. In a retaliatory operation, Serbian police and paramilitary unites began attacking villages where the UCK was believed to be hiding, killing 24 ethnic Albanians. The Serbian authorities claimed that those killed had been members of the UCK. However, it was disputed whether the dead were Albanian civilians.

In March 1998, Serbian security forces staged a further offensive against UCK bases, killing among others a leading UCK member. By 6 March, more than 25 people had been killed. By the end of March, up to 80 Kosovo Albanians had been killed.

Conflict issues

Conflict Goal Issues: Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosovës (UCK), Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), was a Kosovar Albanian nationalist rebel group fighting against the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to achieve independence for the Serbian region of Kosovo. Whilst the movement that would later be formed into UCK began operating from the early 1990’s, the official establishment and emergence of the group came in 1997, emerging as a more aggressive alternative to the already existing more pacifist Republic of Kosovo. UCK was characterized by a large part of its members being Kosovar Albanian, and the group claimed to represent the Albanian population of Serbia. During the year of its establishment, UCK pronounced one conflict goal issue, calling for the recognition and granting of independence of the Serbian Kosovo region.

As the conflict progressed, UCK reemphasized its calls for Kosovar independence, but also introduced several new issues. The group called for the establishment of democracy in Kosovo, stating that the group “will continue the struggle for freedom, independence, and democracy.”, called for the ousting of Slobodan Milosevic and his government, and called for a restructuring of the military and police forces. The group also called for a referendum to be held to determine the status of the Kosovo region and for the ousting of Ibrahim Rugova, the leader of the Republic of Kosovo.

The main conflict goal issue of UCK was the establishment of an independent and democratic Kosovo region. The issues of independence and democracy were the most heavily emphasized conflict goal issues of the group. The ousting of Slobodan Milosevic and the restructuring of the Serbian military forces were stated with similar continuity, although they were not as heavily emphasized as UCK’s main issues.

Conflict Dynamics Issues: Whilst UCK were not interpreted as stating any conflict dynamics issues during its first year of existence, the group released statements pertaining to several conflict dynamics issues during the following years. The group accused the government of conducting ethnic cleansing operations against Kosovar Albanians and called upon the U.S. and NATO to carry out a military intervention to protect the people of Kosovo. The group also called for the withdrawal of international financial support to the Serbian government, Serb forces from the Kosovo region, and sanctions, specifically an arms embargo which restricted the UCK’s ability to procure armaments. The group also called upon the international community to assist UCK with military support, international pressure to influence Milosevic’s government to cease attacks on Kosovo, assist in mediations through supplying a third-party mediator, and conducting international court investigations into the conduct of the Serbian military. The group also called for military support from the international community and for Kosovar Albanian diaspora to assist in the fighting. Finally, the group also called for prisoners that had been detained by the government to be released and for refugees to be returned to Kosovo.

The main conflict dynamics issues of UCK were the allegations of ethnically motivated atrocities carried out against Albanian civilians, calls for NATO intervention in Serbia, and the withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo. These issues were the most heavily emphasized issues raised by the group.

Conflict Resolution Issues: In 1997, UCK stated one conflict resolution issue, stating its opposition to negotiations with the Serbian government. In the following years, the group called for accountability for perpetrators of atrocities and human rights abuses, stated its opposition to an agreed upon peace agreement between NATO and Milosevic that ended the conflict, stating that UCK had been left out of negotiations of the agreement. In 1998 and 1999, UCK also amended their position on negotiations, instead calling for them to be held with the Serbian government under the condition that they were held under international mediation. The group also called for a ceasefire to be implemented and for compensation to be paid out to civilians affected by the fighting on singular instances.

The main conflict goal issues of UCK were the holding of negotiations with the government and the structure of those negotiations. These issues were continuously raised toward the latter stages of the conflict and were central to the group as evidenced by UCK’s reaction when the group was left out of negotiations which resulted in the peace agreement between NATO and Milosevic.

Type of conflict issues: Conflict Goal Issues: CPS: Democracy, Independence, Oust full executive, Oust head of the executive, Oust local executive, Referendum, Restructure military forces, Restructure police forces

Conflict Dynamics Issues: Atrocities and abuses, Collective targeting: ethnic, DFI: Withdrawal of financial support, DFI: Withdrawal of military intervention/foreign forces, DFI: Withdrawal of sanctions, IFI: Foreign mediator, IFI: International court/tribunal/investigation, IFI: International monitoring, IFI: Military intervention/foreign forces, IFI: Military support, IFI: Support from diasporas/foreign fighters, IFI: Use of foreign influence, Military conduct, Release of prisoners, Return of refugees/IDPs

Conflict Resolution Issues: Accountability/prosecution/investigation, Call for ceasefire, Call for negotiations, Compensation/restoration, Opposition to negotiations, Opposition to peace agreement, Structure of negotiations

Annual information

This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.