Today marks the 25nd anniversary of the exodus of Kosovo Albanians, when during the war in 1998-1999, about one million Albanians were forced by Serbian paramilitary forces to move to Albania and Macedonia.

In addition to those displaced in Albania and Macedonia, thousands of Albanians also crossed the border with Montenegro, while hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes to find shelter in the mountains of Kosovo.

They were children, women and the elderly, violated, tortured and massacred. On every anniversary of the 1999 exodus, which took on biblical proportions, Kukës commemorates, and in the last two years also symbolically because of the pandemic, this drama of suffering from the most terrible that the people of this land have experienced.

The exodus, or the violent expulsion of Albanians from their homes, reached its peak after the beginning of the NATO bombings against the military and police points of the former Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), reports KosovaPress.

On March 27, at 13:20 p.m., at the Vërmica/Morina customs checkpoint, the first 187 refugees from Kosovo, most of whom were children and women, who were in a deplorable physical and mental state and were injured by means of violence, passed through Kukës. hard as: rifle butts, rubber sticks, etc. Immediate measures were taken for their transport by means of civilian and military transport by the leaders of the Kukës Prefecture. They were mainly residents of the villages of Prizren, Krushë e Madhe and Zym. At first, these refugees were sheltered in the palace of culture "Hasan Prishtina. "

Until midnight on March 24.00, 27, 1999 Kosovars arrived in Kukes. The first food aid came from the Ministry of Agriculture of Albania, where on March 12.721, contingents of food (oil, flour, sugar, pasta, rice, soap, etc.) were sent to Kukës for 27 people per month.

On March 28, the flow of Kosovars continued towards Kukës, forcefully expelled from the lands by the Serbian invaders. Their number was 13.000 inhabitants. The Kosovar refugees entered Kukës from the Vërmica/Morina crossing where they were raped, tortured, massacred and stripped by the Serbian police, taking their money, jewelry and any valuables they had.

Their temporary residence was the Palace of Culture "Hasan Prishtina". After that, the local government in Kukës opened the doors of several schools, nurseries, kindergartens, warehouses and warehouses for housing the deportees. The other refugees were sheltered in Kuksian families where they welcomed them. On average, each family in the city of Kukes had about 14 Kosovars. They slept in every part of the house.

At the beginning of the week, the second caravan of deportees with about 70.000 Kosovars arrived in Kukës. Of these, 40.000 were arranged with citizen families, 10.000 in various public areas of the city, 6.000 in the municipalities of Bicaj, Kolsh, Tërthore and Shtiqën, 12.000 in the city of Kruma and 300 in the municipality of Golaj. 16 vehicles arrived in Kukës to evacuate a part of Kosovars to other cities. Day by day the number of deportees increased. Despite sheltering in the homes of Kuksi residents, a large number of Kosovars were housed in camps.

April 16 is the date when Exodus Day is marked in Kukës, as a sign of thanks and respect for all those who open their doors to welcome their Albanian brothers from Kosovo.

One of the main symbols of April 16 is the Obelisk. The tower was built as a sign of thanks to the Albanian people. It was built in the place where the tents that housed the Kosovar population were placed. The tower is 23.5 meters tall and is filled with photos, which represent the events of that time. The tower is one of the most visited tourist spots in Kukës. During April 16, the tower is the most visited point.

To remember the days of the violent displacement of Albanians from their homes and their suffering by the Serbian regime, the "Wall of Remembrance" monument and the "Hasan" park stand at the "Bllaca '99" Memorial Center in Han te Elezit. Prishtina".

The "Wall of Remembrance" monument is a mosaic that symbolizes the sacrifice of the Albanian mother, together with the names of some of the prominent world personalities who contributed to the liberation of Kosovo, an artistic-monumental work that expresses the memory and respect for all those who brought long-awaited freedom and independence.