The Conflict in Kosovo

The province of Kosovo is an administrative unit of 10,887 square kilometres consisting of 29 municipalities in the south-western part of the Republic of Serbia within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). The last census with nearly universal participation was administered in 1981. The total population of Kosovo was approximately 1,585,000 of which 1,227,000 (77%) were Albanians, and 210,000 (13%) were Serbs. Only estimates are available for the population of Kosovo in 1991 since the Kosovo Albanians boycotted the census that year. General estimates are that the current population of Kosovo is between 1,800,000 and 2,100,000 of which approximately 85-90% are Kosovo Albanians and 5-10% are Serbs (document no. 319).

Discussions of the Kosovo conflict often start with the battle of Kosovo Polje (the Field of Blackbirds) in 1389 when the Serbs were defeated by the Ottoman Empire. This victory led to Ottoman rule in the region. This partly legendary battle continues to play an important role in the contemporary politics of Serbia. In the early 19th century, national uprisings in Serbia slowly led to the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire. In 1878, at the Berlin Congress Montenegro and Serbia obtained formal recognition of independence by the major European powers. The revival of Albanian nationalism, arguably in full flower since the foundation of the League of Prizren in 1878, aimed at uniting the areas of mainly Muslim Albanian-speaking populations.