Story #9
“For twenty years neither on land nor in heaven”
(Interview with Halil Ujkani, Sadri Ujkani and Zyle Ujkani)
In April 1999, Halil and Zyle Ujkani’s two sons, Mahit and Shaip, go missing. Halili's brother, Sadri, also loses two sons, Faton and Shkelzen. The third brother, Zahit, who has since died, also loses his son, Nazim.
All five sons, after noticing that Serb forces are burning surrounding villages, leave their houses together on the same day, knowing that if they remain in the village and the Serb forces come, their chances of survival are very low. They leave with some LDK political officials from Mitrovica, whom Halil has been sheltering in his house.
Halil, Sadri and Zyle, who are forced to leave the village a few days later, recall their experiences during the war and their post-war efforts to trace their sons whom they never saw again.
All five sons, after noticing that Serb forces are burning surrounding villages, leave their houses together on the same day, knowing that if they remain in the village and the Serb forces come, their chances of survival are very low. They leave with some LDK political officials from Mitrovica, whom Halil has been sheltering in his house.
Halil, Sadri and Zyle, who are forced to leave the village a few days later, recall their experiences during the war and their post-war efforts to trace their sons whom they never saw again.
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)