Jusuf Mehonjić ( or ''Isuf Mehani'') (1883-1926) was an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

leader of the

Kachak Movement The Kachak Movement was a series of Albanians, Albanian uprisings in Albanian-populated territories in Kosovo, Vardar Macedonia and Sandžak from 1919 to 1927. The uprisings began after the end of the First World War when Kosovo became part of th ...

and a member of the Committee of Kosovo from Šahovići. He fought in the

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

until 1912. During occupation of Serbia in World War One Mehonjić committed a few crimes, so he became an outlaw in 1918. In 1922 Yugoslav authorities sent Chetniks under command of

Kosta Pećanac Konstantin "Kosta" Milovanović Pećanac ( sr-cyrl, Константин "Коста" Миловановић Пећанац; 1879–1944) was a Serbian and Yugoslav Chetnik commander ('' vojvoda'') during the Balkan Wars, World War I and World ...

to hunt down Mehonjić after failed assassination attempt of prominent member of People's Radical Party. Chetniks killed 28 Muslim villagers in Starčevići near Tutin. Later they were defeated by Mehonjić's men near

Sjenica Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia, on the vast Sjenica- Pešter plateau and geographically located in the central part of Sandžak. The population of the municip ...

, which gave him heroic status among the populace. In the period of 1924-1928, he was as an anti-Yugoslav rebel leader of the Kachak movements chetas (armed bands) (''çetë'') in the lower

Sandžak Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) is a historical and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The Bosnian/ Serbian term ''Sandžak'' derives from the Sanjak of Novi Paza ...

area, including

Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...

Rožaje Rožaje ( Bosnian: ''Rožaje''; , ; , ) is a town located in the Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along the Ibar river. The town is the cultural center of the Bosniaks in Montenegro. As of 2023, the town has a population of 13,608 inhabi ...

Kolašin Kolašin (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Колашин, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989 (2003 census). Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin Municipality (population 9,949) and an unofficial centre of Morača region, nam ...

and Bihor. Other leaders included Husein Boshko, Feriz Sallku and Rek Bisheva. His units mostly attacked Serbs, both soldiers and gendarmes, as well as civilians, traders and peasants. In 1924, Mehonjić/Mehonja was framed for organizing the murder of Boško Bošković, the chief of Kolašin county, despite him being in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

at the time. This was used as a pretext for the 1924 Šahovići massacre, in which around 600-900 local Muslims were massacred by Montenegrin peasants. Afterwards, it emerged that the murderers of Bošković were clan members from Rovca, a rival tribe to his own. He was a member of the

Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

, and according to Professor Matija Murko of Prague, Mehonjic was also a writer of poetry, writing and singing about the battles and skirmishes he had fought. These songs were confiscated by Yugoslav authorities. Mehonja died in 1926. He is buried in Albania next to his wife Naze. According to one source he was betrayed and killed by his concealer and that Yugoslav Intelligence Service was involved in his death.

References

1883 births 1926 deaths Albanian nationalists Albanians in Montenegro People from Bijelo Polje Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars {{Albania-bio-stub