Orahovac
Encyclopedia
Orahovac is a town and municipality
in western Kosovo
, in the District of Đakovica.
".
The Albanian name Arraveci also stems from the Albanian word "Arrë", also meaning walnut.
, numbering around 700 residents.
units from Niš
and Leskovac
, Serbian police (MUP) units from Kraljevo
and Pirot
, Russian
mercenaries, and volunteers from Serbia and Republika Srpska
were stationed in Orahovac.
, hundreds of Kosovo Albanians gathered in the center of town protesting, while many of them went to the Upper Part (where the majority of ethnic Serbs reside) and severely assaulted a Kosovo Serb couple. A house was set on fire, a few others were vandalized. On 18 March, the Serbian Orthodox Church
in the village of Brnjača was set on fire. 5 Kosovo Serb families left Orahovac during these riots.
Since 1999, the Serbian population of Orahovac has been terrorized to the point were they were forced to leave their homes to find refuge in northern Serbia.
(PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo
(LDK), dominates the local political climate. Shortly after the end of the conflict, all political parties were involved in the ‘Blockade Council’, an institution that represented the protest of Kosovo Albanians to the deployment of Russian troops in the area. Following the lifting of the blockade in November 1999, the local political parties focused their attention on governance issues.
Three of the eight parties taking part in the 2000 Municipal Elections won seats in the Assembly and visibly continued their activities, while other parties quickly lost their political significance. After the 2001 Elections, PDK was the only political party that managed to send a representative to the Kosovo Assembly
. In April 2002, PNDSH ceased to exist and some of its members formed a branch of the Justice Party
(PD). Mr. Ismet Tara, a well-known former Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA) Commander, headed the PD list in the 2002 Municipal Elections and won a seat in the Municipal Assembly. Not all political parties which participated in the municipal elections in October 2000 were certified for the municipal elections in October 2002.
The Central Assembly Election of 2004 saw the appearance of a new political entity in Kosovo, the Reformist Party ORA
, which gained 5.6% of the vote in Orahovac. In these elections PDK and LDK succeeded in sending their representatives from Orahovac to the Central Assembly.
The LDK has a new branch president since the CEO Ibrahim Kryeziu resigned from the position and Xhemajli Zeqiri took over. The PDK held a general assembly in the summer 2005 and Mr Qazim Qeska was elected as the new PDK branch president.
Political party structures are not well developed in the Kosovo Serb areas. Although different individuals claim to belong to and/or represent different political options, there are no formal branches of any political entities operating in the area.
In 1999, the community placed a moratorium upon parties and political activities in order to focus on representing the interests of the community as a whole. As Kosovo Serb parties boycotted the 2000 Municipal Elections, the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) appointed a community representative to the Municipal Assembly. In the Kosovo Assembly Elections in 2001 the Coalition Return (KP) did not include any representative from Orahovac municipality on its candidates’ list, causing great disappointment in the two enclaves. In the 2002 Municipal Elections KP was certified and presented a list of four candidates from the municipality, out of which one candidate was elected and subsequently appointed Municipal Additional Deputy President. Even if KP ceased to exist as political entity, the Additional President will hold his position until the next municipal elections.
, including vegetable
crops and vineyards. There is some production of wheat
and corn
and cattle breeding
. The sand
and gravel
business in the area is probably the second most important economic activity in the Municipality. There are a total of eight enterprises dealing with agricultural production, production of plastics, heaters, freezers, and recycling
. These nominally state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have partly resumed their activities but are in need of financial assistance and infrastructure aid. One of the SOEs, Termosistem, was among
the first six SOEs to be privatized in Kosovo, recently followed by “Silosi”, the biggest flour
factory in the region, N.P.T Haxhijaha, the biggest whole sale company in Kosovo for agriculture equipment, winary Bodrumi i Vjetër and “Eco Plast”.
Orahovac is said to have soil conditions that can be compared to the best in Europe. Wine grapes are well distinguished in this region. Before the war, US and Western Europe imported for very convenient prices. Germany has been a major wine importer for a long time. After the war, wineries are barely surviving due to what UMNIK believes to be a mismanagement of the company.
. There are two ambulantas providing basic medical services to the minority population in the enclaves. As of October 2005, with the start of the OSCE
funded project “Communities Committee: Promoter of Rights”, visits to the Health Centers have been regularly organized for minority members.
, UNICEF
and the Japan
ese government, attempted to bring Kosovo Albanian
, Kosovo Serb and Kosovo Roma students together in a newly built multi-ethnic primary school.
Since then, no progress has been made in this field. In summer 2005, the director of education initiated a series of meetings with minority teachers and parents with the aim to begin the reintegration of minority pupils in the primary school but without success. Serb community refuses to send their children to the multi-ethnic school as there were fears from the community that the acceptance of the Kosovo authority over education of Serb pupils would exempt them from further education in Serbia proper, either secondary schooling or university education. There are also questions related to different curricula and the issue of language. As a result, the school presently accommodates only Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Roma/Egyptian children with education being carried out in the Albanian language.
Municipalities of Kosovo
A Municipality is the basic administrative division in Kosovo.-List of Municipalities:The first name is Serbian and the second one is Albanian:* Dečani / Deçan* Dragaš / Dragash* Đakovica / Gjakovë* Glogovac / Gllogovc * Gnjilane / Gjilan...
in western Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, in the District of Đakovica.
Name
Its Serbian name stems from the Serbian word orah (орах), meaning "walnutWalnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
".
The Albanian name Arraveci also stems from the Albanian word "Arrë", also meaning walnut.
Geography and population
The municipality coveres an area of approximately 276 km² (107 sq mi) and contains 35 villages. In 2006 the town had a total population of 25.000 and the population of the municipality was 55,053. Besides a small Serbian enclave in the town numbering around 400 residents, in the municipality of Orahovac is another Serbian enclave named Velika HočaVelika Hoca
Velika Hoča is a village in the municipality of Orahovac, in the Metohija region of Kosovo. It is one of the Serb enclaves in Kosovo.-Demographics:...
, numbering around 700 residents.
NATO bombing
During NATO's bombing campaign, Yugoslav ArmyYugoslav Army
Aside from the Yugoslav People's Army, the terms Yugoslav Army, Army of Yugoslavia, or Military of Yugoslavia may refer to:* Yugoslav Partisans , the Yugoslav resistance army during World War II...
units from Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
and Leskovac
Leskovac
Leskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
, Serbian police (MUP) units from Kraljevo
Kraljevo
Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...
and Pirot
Pirot
Pirot is a town and municipality located in south-eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 38,432, while the population of the municipality is 57,911...
, Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
mercenaries, and volunteers from Serbia and Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
were stationed in Orahovac.
March 2004 unrest
During the mid-March 2004 riots2004 unrest in Kosovo
Violent unrest in Kosovo, which at the time was under United Nations administration, broke out on 17 March 2004. Kosovo Albanians, numbering over 50,000, took part in widescale attacks on the Serbian people, compared by the then Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to ethnic cleansing but not...
, hundreds of Kosovo Albanians gathered in the center of town protesting, while many of them went to the Upper Part (where the majority of ethnic Serbs reside) and severely assaulted a Kosovo Serb couple. A house was set on fire, a few others were vandalized. On 18 March, the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in the village of Brnjača was set on fire. 5 Kosovo Serb families left Orahovac during these riots.
Since 1999, the Serbian population of Orahovac has been terrorized to the point were they were forced to leave their homes to find refuge in northern Serbia.
Political parties
The relation between the two main Kosovo Albanian political parties, the Democratic Party of KosovoDemocratic Party of Kosovo
The Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
(PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo
Democratic League of Kosovo
The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....
(LDK), dominates the local political climate. Shortly after the end of the conflict, all political parties were involved in the ‘Blockade Council’, an institution that represented the protest of Kosovo Albanians to the deployment of Russian troops in the area. Following the lifting of the blockade in November 1999, the local political parties focused their attention on governance issues.
Three of the eight parties taking part in the 2000 Municipal Elections won seats in the Assembly and visibly continued their activities, while other parties quickly lost their political significance. After the 2001 Elections, PDK was the only political party that managed to send a representative to the Kosovo Assembly
Assembly of Kosovo
The Assembly of Kosovo was originally established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in 2001 to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government'....
. In April 2002, PNDSH ceased to exist and some of its members formed a branch of the Justice Party
Justice Party (Kosovo)
The Justice Party is a political party in the self declared, semi-recognised, defacto independent, Republic of Kosovo.At the last legislative elections, 24 October 2004, the party won 1.0% of the popular vote and 1 out of 120 seats...
(PD). Mr. Ismet Tara, a well-known former Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
(KLA) Commander, headed the PD list in the 2002 Municipal Elections and won a seat in the Municipal Assembly. Not all political parties which participated in the municipal elections in October 2000 were certified for the municipal elections in October 2002.
The Central Assembly Election of 2004 saw the appearance of a new political entity in Kosovo, the Reformist Party ORA
Reformist Party ORA
Reformist Party ORA was a social-democratic centre-left political party in Kosovo. The party stood for an independent, free and democratic Kosovo.The party was normally referred to as ORA, which in Albanian means the Hour....
, which gained 5.6% of the vote in Orahovac. In these elections PDK and LDK succeeded in sending their representatives from Orahovac to the Central Assembly.
The LDK has a new branch president since the CEO Ibrahim Kryeziu resigned from the position and Xhemajli Zeqiri took over. The PDK held a general assembly in the summer 2005 and Mr Qazim Qeska was elected as the new PDK branch president.
Political party structures are not well developed in the Kosovo Serb areas. Although different individuals claim to belong to and/or represent different political options, there are no formal branches of any political entities operating in the area.
In 1999, the community placed a moratorium upon parties and political activities in order to focus on representing the interests of the community as a whole. As Kosovo Serb parties boycotted the 2000 Municipal Elections, the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) appointed a community representative to the Municipal Assembly. In the Kosovo Assembly Elections in 2001 the Coalition Return (KP) did not include any representative from Orahovac municipality on its candidates’ list, causing great disappointment in the two enclaves. In the 2002 Municipal Elections KP was certified and presented a list of four candidates from the municipality, out of which one candidate was elected and subsequently appointed Municipal Additional Deputy President. Even if KP ceased to exist as political entity, the Additional President will hold his position until the next municipal elections.
Economy
The economy rests largely on agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, including vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
crops and vineyards. There is some production of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and cattle breeding
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
. The sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
and gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
business in the area is probably the second most important economic activity in the Municipality. There are a total of eight enterprises dealing with agricultural production, production of plastics, heaters, freezers, and recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
. These nominally state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have partly resumed their activities but are in need of financial assistance and infrastructure aid. One of the SOEs, Termosistem, was among
the first six SOEs to be privatized in Kosovo, recently followed by “Silosi”, the biggest flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
factory in the region, N.P.T Haxhijaha, the biggest whole sale company in Kosovo for agriculture equipment, winary Bodrumi i Vjetër and “Eco Plast”.
Orahovac is said to have soil conditions that can be compared to the best in Europe. Wine grapes are well distinguished in this region. Before the war, US and Western Europe imported for very convenient prices. Germany has been a major wine importer for a long time. After the war, wineries are barely surviving due to what UMNIK believes to be a mismanagement of the company.
Social services, health, and education
Generally all communities receive access to Kosovo Social Services, as there is a sub-office of the Centre for Social Welfare situated in the Kosovo Serb enclave of Upper Orahovac. In 2004 a new Invalidity pension was introduced.Health
The local health sector includes one health house in Orahovac town, two clinics, and seven health centres, also known as ambulanta. These facilities provide basic medical treatment. The nearest well-equipped hospitals are located in Đakovica and PrizrenPrizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
. There are two ambulantas providing basic medical services to the minority population in the enclaves. As of October 2005, with the start of the OSCE
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
funded project “Communities Committee: Promoter of Rights”, visits to the Health Centers have been regularly organized for minority members.
Education
The Kosovo Albanian children are served by 19 primary schools and one secondary school with two branches in two villages, where five of the primary schools are in Orahovac town. Kosovo Serbs have access to two primary schools and one gymnasium. In 2001 the Municipality, together with World VisionWorld Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
, UNICEF
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
and the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese government, attempted to bring Kosovo Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
, Kosovo Serb and Kosovo Roma students together in a newly built multi-ethnic primary school.
Since then, no progress has been made in this field. In summer 2005, the director of education initiated a series of meetings with minority teachers and parents with the aim to begin the reintegration of minority pupils in the primary school but without success. Serb community refuses to send their children to the multi-ethnic school as there were fears from the community that the acceptance of the Kosovo authority over education of Serb pupils would exempt them from further education in Serbia proper, either secondary schooling or university education. There are also questions related to different curricula and the issue of language. As a result, the school presently accommodates only Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Roma/Egyptian children with education being carried out in the Albanian language.
Demographics
External links
- Municipality of Orahovac
- Rahoveci.NET
- BBC article concerning March 2004 riots
- Association of Kosovo Municipalities
- Statistical Office of Kosovo (SOK)
- OSCE Mission in Kosovo > Municipal profiles
- International Organization for Mifration (IOM)
- Survivors describe massacre in Rahovec
- Human Rights Publication-Massacre in Pastasel, Rahovec
- Massacre at Krusha e Madhe,Rahovec
- Photographic Evidence of Kosovo Genocide and Conflict