A Timeline of Tensions

Serbs fight and lose an epic battle to Ottoman Turks in Kosova. Despite the loss Kosovo is celebrated in Serbian folklore and remains an important part of their history.

After the collapse of the Austro Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, Kosova becomes part of the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

The Yugoslavian Monarchy is born and its regions are divided.

The German army invades in April of 1941.

At the end of World War II, Yugoslavia becomes a communist republic under Marshall Tito.

A revised Yougoslav constitution grants autonomy to Kosova. The ethnic Albanians institute Albanian-language schools and observe their religious holidays.

Demonstrations of the Albanian students at the University of Pristina against the working and living conditions take place in Kosova. Kosova is the poorest region in the country. The protests turn bloody.

Slobodan Milosevic rises to power in Yugoslavia, fanning the flames of Serbian nationalism while Albanian civil rights continue to erode.

Milosevic strips Kosova- now 90% Albanian of its autonomy. The army and the police are sent to keep order.

Kosova's Albanian majority votes to secede from Serbia and Yugoslavia. The Serbs do not recognize the vote and the Albanians form a parallel government with Ibrahim Rugova as president. Later that year, U.S. President George Bush warns the Serbs that the U.S. will use force if the Serbs attack Kosovo.

The emergence of the KLA-Kosova Liberation Army has intensified the conflict, while Rugova's attempts for a peaceful resolution of the conflict are at a stalemate. In February Milosevic sends the army in areas controlled by the KLA , killing 80 Kosovars. The conflict between Serb forces and KLA forces escalates.

January:The massacre in Racek- 45 ethnic Albanians slained. The interantional community demands an investigation.

February-March: The Rambouillet talks are the last chance for peace, while the ethnic Albanians sign the agreement, the Serbs are not willing to give peace a chance. Talks are suspended.

March 24: NATO lauches air strikes. Milosevic responds in retaliation by beginning a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Kosovar Albanians.

June : After three months of an intensive NATO bombing campaign Serbia accepts the UN peace accord. Yugoslav and NATO officials sign the agreement. Kosova is put under UN protection and is divided under 5 aereas.

Today: Kosova has started the difficult and painful period of transition.

RETURN TO HOME