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The Macedonian War
Biljana Bosevska
from Macedonia
Biljana
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I am from a small country, Macedonia, situated in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula. It is the home of 2 million Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Serbs and small number of other nationalities. After the break up of Yugoslavia, we formed the Republic of Macedonia, as a democratic country. I would like to explain how and why a war started in March 2001.
It started with many terrorist attacks in the cities and the villages along the border with Kosovo. Many Americans have asked me if that was the same war as in Kosovo and Serbia. It is not the same war, because it is not a civil war, but it was started by the Muslim terrorists who illegally crossed the border from Kosovo into our country. They tried to raise the Muslim citizens in Macedonia against our government. So immediately the war became a war between the Muslims on one side and Christians on the other. Fortunately, the war hasn’t spread into the whole country but only in the area of the North border with Kosovo, but many people were affected by it, because there were also terrorist attacks in many cities around the country. It was a new kind of war because we did not know who we were fighting against. Suddenly we started to hate each other Muslims and Christians. Many people lost their homes, were robbed, killed, or tortured.
I never thought something like this could happen in my country. It was like watching a movie. My city was several times burning in flames of fire. The Macedonians who lost their loved ones on the battlefield wanted revenge, so they gathered in the center of my city to set on fire every Muslim house and store. Suddenly old neighbors became enemies.
Many of my friends were recruited into the army and went to fight on the Macedonian side. I also have an Albanian friend. We have been friends since we were children, but I lost contact with him soon after the war started. This summer, he called me and said he was back in town but only for a day and he had to go away again, because it was not safe for Albanians in my town anymore. So several other friends and I visited him the same night.
We all were very good friends. We went to the same school and the same parties. But now, one was Albanian, the other one was Serbian, and the rest of us were Macedonians, and some were soldiers in the Macedonian Army that fought against the Muslim terrorists. But for us that had no meaning; we were still the same friends we used to be. That night was the last night we were gathered together. The next day my Albanian friend went away, and we don’t know when we are going to see each other again.
I am telling these stories, because I want to show that we were just ordinary people living ordinary lives until some individuals decided they wanted to start a war. The terrorists destroyed our friendship, our peace, and our lives. I felt like me and my whole generation quickly lost our innocence going through so many problems day by day.
After the terrorist attacks here in USA, I felt the whole world is not safe anymore from the terrorists. They all have the same idea - to destroy the peace which many countries enjoy these days. I deeply sympathize with the Americans and I hope if all people become aware of the terrorism and all the problems that come with it, then maybe we can together do something to stop it forever.
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