The National Liberation Army (Ushtria Clirimtare Kombetare, UCK), led by Ali Ahmeti, is an ethnic Albanian Macedonian insurgency organization (New York Review of Books 29 Nov. 2001) active in the Macedonian-Kosovo border area (IWPR 7 Mar. 2001). For an investigation of the UCK, its goals, activities and leadership, please consult Timothy Garton Ash's article "Is There a Good Terrorist?" published on 29 November 2001 by the New York Review of Books and at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/14860. Since the publication of this article, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that the UCK had formed the "Democratic Union for Integration" (BDI) political party with Ahmeti as chairman in June 2002 (6 June 2002).

The international non-governmental organization Saferworld noted that one explanation for the UCK's emergence in Macedonia was to protect "lucrative smuggling routes" from being disrupted by the Macedonian military (May 2002, 23). The UCK is reportedly linked to the regional arms trade (Los Angeles Times 20 Apr. 2001) and drug smuggling on the Macedonian-Kosovo border (CSD 2002, 45). Xavier Raufer of the Paris Institute of Criminology and author of a book on the Albanian mafia claimed that the Italian intelligence service regarded the UCK as one of a number of Albanian groups in "a criminal conspiracy of Balkan clan-chiefs, gangsters in the diaspora and former members of the Albanian secret service" (AFP 21 Mar. 2001). The International Crisis Group (ICG) cited Robert Hislope, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Union College in New York, as arguing that while UCK ties to the mafia were less obvious than those of their Kosovar counterparts in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), the UCK was the recipient of funding and weapons linked to the mafia (14 Aug. 2002, 27).

The Research Directorate found no reports detailing allegations that the UCK coerced local populations in Ohrid among the sources consulted. Amnesty International (AI) has referred to allegations that the UCK abducted, injured and ill-treated civilians in Tetovo (15 Aug. 2002) as well as to allegations of sexual abuse and murder (AI 2002). AI reports that civilian attacks by the UCK occurred in villages near Tetovo, Skopje and Kumanovo including one murder in Brezno and allegations that 12 other people were killed and buried in a mass grave in Neproshten (ibid.). In addition, AI reports that ethnic Macedonians, Roma, Turks and Serbs were forcefully displaced (ibid. 15 Aug. 2002). Ethnobarometer stated that it had confirmed reports of UCK guerrillas beating or threatening ethnic Albanian civilians and "molesting ... the civilian population in occupied areas," including an observed "outflow of ethnic Macedonians from UCK-held villages" (2002, 28, 35-36).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 21 March 2001. "Criminologist Says Albanian Separatists in FYROM Actually 'Mafia.'" (FBIS-EEU-2001-0321 21 Mar. 2001/WNC)

Amnesty International (AI). 15 August 2002. Press Release. "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Impunity Threatens Lasting Peace." (AI Index: EUR 65/017/2002) http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/print/EUR650172002?OpenDocument [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

_____. 2002. "Macedonia." In Annual Report 2002. http://www.amnesty.org/web/ar2002.nsf/eur/Macedonia!Open [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

Center for the Study of Democracy (CDS). 2002. Marko Hajdinjak. Smuggling in Southeast Europe: The Yugoslav Wars and the Development of Regional Criminal Networks in the Balkans. (CSD Report No. 10) http://www.csd.bg/publications/book10/SMUGGLING%20ENG.pdf [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

Ethnobarometer. 2002. Kristina Balalovska, Alessandro Silj and Mario Zucconi. Minority Politics in Southeast Europe: Crisis in Macedonia. http://www.ethnobarometer.org/crisismacedonia.pdf [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

International Crisis Group (ICG). 14 August 2002. ICG Balkans Report. No. 133. "Macedonia's Public Secret: How Corruption Drags the Country Down." http://www.intl-crisis-group.org/projects/balkans/macedonia/reports/A400739_14082002.pdf [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

International War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) [London]. 7 March 2001. Balkan Crisis Report. No. 224. Shkelzen Maliqi. "Albanian Extremists Pose Regional Threat." (Network of East-West Women, Women in War List Service) http://lists.partners-intl.net/pipermail/women-in-war/2001-March/000290.html [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

Los Angeles Times. 20 August 2001. Alissa J. Rubin. "U.S. Patrols Smuggling Routes to Macedonia." (The Centre for Peace in the Balkans) http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/august01/hed3956.shtml [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

New York Review of Books. 29 November 2001. Timothy Garton Ash. "Is There a Good Terrorist?" http://www.nybooks.com/articles/14860 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 6 June 2002. Jolyon Naegele. "Macedonia: Former UCK Commanders Found Political Party." http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2002/06/06062002163202.asp [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

Saferworld. May 2002. Ian Davis. Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: The Nature of the Problem. http://www.saferworld.co.uk/SALW%20Yugo1.pdf [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

_____. n.d. "Home Page." http://www.saferworld.co.uk [Accessed 20 Feb. 2003]

Saferworld is a British-based "independent foreign affairs think tank working to identify, develop and publicise more effective approaches to preventing armed conflict" (Saferworld n.d.).

IRB Databases

Internet sites, including:

International Narcotics Control Strategy Report

Macedonia Info

NIN News Agency

Reality Macedonia

Salon

World News Connection