Albanians in Serbia

Albanians are the majority in Serbian muncipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac and a significant minority in Medvedja.

According to the 2002 census, Albanians make up 89% of population of Preševo. According to the 1991 census they also were a majority in Bujanovac forming 60% of its population, but in 2002 the number of Albanians in Bujanovac fell to 54.69%. In Medvedja, Albanians are a significant minority forming 26.17% of its population.

According to the 2002 census, there are 61,647 Albanians in Serbia without Kosovo. Of those, 59,952 live in Central Serbia, chiefly in the Preševo Valley, at the far south of Serbia, on the Kosovo border.cite book|title=Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i Stanova 2002. Knjiga 1: Nacionalna ili etnička pripadnost po naseljima|publisher=Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia|language=Serbian|year=2003|isbn=86-84443-00-09] They mainly live in the municipalities of Preševo (Albanian: Preshevë), and Bujanovac (Albanian: Bujanoc), as well as in the part of the municipality of Medveđa (Albanian: Medvegjë).

Geography

In the municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac Albanians form the majority of population (89.1% in Preševo and 54.69% in Bujanovac according to the 2002 census). In the municipality of Medveđa, Albanians are second largest ethnic group (after Serbs), and their participation in this municipality was 28.67% in 1991 and 26.17% in 2002.

Some Albanians still refer to the region of those three municipalities as "Eastern Kosovo"Fact|date=October 2007 (Albanian: "Kosova Lindore"). But the region of Bujanovac and Preševo is widely known as the Preševo Valley (Serbian: Прешевска Долина, "Preševska Dolina", Albanian: "Lugina e Preshevës").

History

In 1992, the Albanians of southern Serbia organized a referendum in which they voted that Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac should join Kosovo. Between 1999 and 2001, an ethnic Albanian guerilla organization, the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (in Albanian "Ushtria Çlirimtare e Preshevës, Medvegjës dhe Bujanocit", UÇPMB), was operational in this region with a goal to secede these three municipalities from the FR Yugoslavia and join them to Kosovo upon achieving independence. The activities attracted less international media interest than the related events of Kosovo and Macedonia.

Culture

Education in Albanian is provided for primary and secondary schools. There may be some university-level courses provided in Albanian, in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, but students mainly do their university degree in University of Priština, Kosovo, in Macedonia, or in Albania's Universities. .

Culture-wise Albanians living in this region are closely related to Albanians in Kosovo. Interestingly, their language dialect is Tosk and not Gheg as of Albanians in Kosovo.

The main religion of Albanians in this region is Islam.

Prominent individuals

* Riza Halimi, a politician, the former mayor of Preševo municipality.
* Skender Destani, pediatrician, leader of the Democratic Union of the Preševo Valley (DUD).

Belgrade

Belgrade, has a small Albanian community. In the census of 1981, 8,212 Albanians were registered. In 1991 there lived only 4,985 Albanians in Belgrade. After the Kosovo War this number decreased to 1,492. [B92 Serbia, Albanian service shut down in 2004 (text in Albanian in the talk page)]

Notable Albanians associated with Belgrade include: Faruk Begolli, Sokol Nimani, Ali Taraku, Bekim Fehmiu, and Zana Nimani.

External links

ee also

* Albanians
* Kosovo
* Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
* Albanians in Montenegro
* Demographic history of Kosovo
* Preševo Valley conflict
* Central Serbia
* UCPMB, Former terrorist guerilla group "Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac"

References