Story #6
“When I left them that day, I knew they were gone”
(Interview with Kumrije Mazrekaj)
The Mazrekaj family is forced to leave their home when Serb forces enter the village of Drenoc to remove the Albanian population. The Serb forces make them walk for a while, and later separate the men from the women. Kumrije and her three daughters end up in a camp in Elbasan, while her husband Arif and son Jetmir are held captive back in the village of Beleg, the last place where the whole family was together.
Kumrije later learns that Jetmir managed to escape, although wounded, and find refuge in the village of Isniq. Some years after the war, his remains were found in a well. Kumrije still knows nothing about what happened to Arif, even twenty years after his disappearance
Kumrije later learns that Jetmir managed to escape, although wounded, and find refuge in the village of Isniq. Some years after the war, his remains were found in a well. Kumrije still knows nothing about what happened to Arif, even twenty years after his disappearance
These stories are part of “Living with memories of the missing: Memory book with stories of family members of the missing from the last war in Kosovo”, implemented by forumZFD program in Kosovo and Integra, in cooperation with Missing Persons Resource Centre, with the support of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Rockefeller Brothers and Swiss Embassy in Kosovo)