Albanian villages in the north are abandoning

Life for Albanians in northern Mitrovica is difficult. The move from village to city in recent years has emptied many settlements. And this is especially evident in lands where there were fewer Albanians, as in the villages of Leposaviqi.

Ahmet Musa from the village of Vlachia in northern Mitrovica, spends most of the time without any company, because many of his fellow villagers have already moved. The sound of children who were once heard in this village has given way to the quiet power. And peace among the people is rare, and few are left behind. They were moving out of the village because of difficult conditions. There are now only eight families, but before the war there were 45. From Kushtove, Cheraree to Bare are 22 villages; they were full of lives, children, men and women. Now they have abandoned the settlements and gone to Mitrovica”, Ahmet Musa has said.

Bleegtoria is the work of his family and others that still remain in the area. “We have several animals and deal with them”, he added.

And Esat Musa, who survives through beekeeping, says that this place is being emptied faster than the steps he takes on foot. I personally had to sell all that I had here and make a 35 thousand euros house in Mitrovica, the children's revenge for schooling, because here there's no way to create conditions for school”, Esat Musa said.

The situation is not even in Bistrica and Cerraya. In the absence of road and transport infrastructure, these villages in the Leposaviqi municipality are likely to be abandoned. We still have few families left, and every year one or two families were displaced. Here another year or two you'll come or anyone else and you won't see anyone”, said Aslan Aliu of these parts.

However, not all hope has disappeared. Those who remain in these villages, which are part of the Leposaviqi municipality, say they will continue to stay there, in their own efforts to stay on the soil of the former.