by Kadri Gashi. Translation Petrit Latifi

King Ahmet Zog has been attacked and continues to be attacked with the history of the Albanian People’s Liberation Army even today. There is no man without sin, but it is right for everyone to be given justice. Below we can read on his position on the forced departures from the Serbian invaders in the Dibra area in 1920, as Minister of the Interior of the government with Prime Minister Sylejman Delvinen.

A responsible government can never be indifferent to the departures of Albanians from Albania. In 1920, from the genocide carried out by the Serbian army, about 5 thousand muhajirs (refugees) from Dibra (in the photo) were settled in Tirana and over 1 thousand in other areas such as Shijak, Durrës, Kavajë, Peqin, Elbasan, Çermenika.

The Dibra region, both sides of the border, was occupied by the Serbian army. For their food alone in Tirana, the Council of Ministers, with decision no. 609, dated 10.9.1920, decided to grant 20 thousand Italian lire to the Sub-prefecture of Tirana. However, the government also anticipated a risk of this population leaving for other places.

With letter no. 6960, dated 17.10.1920, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ahmet Zogu, ordered the prefectures: “You are instructed to strictly prohibit the Muhajirs of Dibra from crossing outside Albania, especially to Istanbul. Therefore, passports for such a journey should not be issued to the aforementioned Muhajirs.

This order came to prevent the risk of this population’s final departure from their homeland. In March 1921, the Council of Ministers decided that the people of Dibra should take shelter in the meadows of Esat Toptani, outside the city of Tirana, in tents provided by the American Red Cross.