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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

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

Key facts

Date
2 February 1990
Place
Verrat e Llukës (Lluka springs)
Coordinates
Approximate location
Sources
2
Evidence status
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.

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.

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