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UÇKHistory and Memory

2 February 1990 · 1989–1995

The movement to reconcile blood feuds

From 2 February 1990 students and intellectuals led by the folklorist Anton Çetta ran a mass campaign to reconcile families in blood feuds. The largest gathering was held on 1 May 1990 at Verrat e Llukës.
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.Before the warPeaceful resistance

Sources give different end dates (2 February 1992 or 17 May 1992) and different estimates: over 1,200 feuds reconciled in whole or in part, or about 2,000 families [1]. The Verrat e Llukës gathering drew hundreds of thousands of people (estimates up to 500,000); the newspaper Rilindja reported on 3 May 1990 that 124 families extended the hand of reconciliation [1] [2].

Sources

  1. [1]Kujtime Boshtrakaj Camaj. Anton Çetta and the impact of Blood Reconciliation in the Society of Kosovo, 1990. Historijski pogledi 7(11), 2024. https://doi.org/10.52259/historijskipogledi.2024.7.11.275. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. [2]Oral History Kosovo. The Engagement in the Movement for Blood Feuds Reconciliation: Part One (Shukrie Rexha). https://oralhistorykosovo.org/the-engagement-in-the-movement-for-blood-feuds-reconciliation-part-one/. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

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