Petrit Latifi

On Saturday, October 26, 1912, word spread in Peja that the Montenegrin invasion forces had arrived in Shtupeq, 3 hours away from the village. In the afternoon, 300 Peja residents joined forces and, at sunrise, took up residence in Qafë te Qyqës.

“It was market day, and the villagers and townspeople were speaking out loud, complaining about their misfortunes, fearing that they would be enslaved by the Montenegrins. In the afternoon, an agreement was made between 300 people from Peja, and by sunset, they gathered at the Qafë e Qyqes, where they set up their defenses.

That night, fierce fighting began and lasted until the following morning. The Montenegrins could not make a single step forward and were forced to retreat, leaving behind 1,000 of their men, while only 50 Albanians had fallen. These Albanians had no weapons, as the soldiers had abandoned them, and no one from the government sent any assistance. The fighting continued throughout the night, with both sides signaling each other. At dawn, the battle resumed.

The Peja militia tried to defeat Montenegro’s forces and, by midday, set off toward Shtupeq, where Serdar Janko Vukotić was located, to deliver the message that Pejë had fallen.

The government was destroyed, there were no guards left, and the weapons had failed. By evening, the militia returned to Pejë because they could no longer fight the Montenegrin forces, and they tried to negotiate. They sent three people to inform the Albanians: “The king has abandoned us; the government of Peja is destroyed; those who were fighting were killed, and the people rebelled that day. Tomorrow, Peja will be under King Nikola’s rule; it is better not to fight.”

The Muslims of Peja, together with the others, gathered to discuss with Serdar Vukotić and asked him to wait another week, hoping to negotiate with the surrounding areas. However, Vukotić replied: “Tomorrow I will enter Peja, and there is no other option.”

On the 30th of October, before midday, the Montenegrin army took control of the highest peaks and entered the city, raising their flag for the first time.

“Ah, the faithless ones! Do not think that you took these lands for just a few days, but because you found the Albanians confused and disheartened. That is why you didn’t face resistance, but instead entered Albanian homes. You did not even consider the plans of those Albanians under Ali Pasha’s orders, who were planning for the defense of Plavë and Gusinje, which according to the Berlin Conference, had to be under Montenegrin rule.”

Reference

Historical Chronicle: Mark Zef Harapi, Albanian school teacher in Peja. 1911 – 1913.