Končulj ( sr-cyr, Кончуљ; ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located in the municipality of

Bujanovac Bujanovac ( sr-cyr, Бујановац, ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, town and Municipalities and cities of Serbia, municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of ...

, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 1,306 people, entirely composed of ethnic Albanians.Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i Stanova 2002. Knjiga 1: Nacionalna ili etnička pripadnost po naseljima. Republika Srbija, Republički zavod za statistiku Beograd 2003. There is border crossing between central Serbia and

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

near Končulj.

Preševo Valley Insurgency

During the

Insurgency in the Preševo Valley The insurgency in the Preševo Valley was an approximately two year-long armed conflict between 1999 and 2001, between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian separatists of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Buj ...

, the

Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac The Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (LAPMB; , UÇPMB; , OVPMB) was an Albanian militant insurgent group fighting for separation from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for three municipalities: Preševo, Medveđa, and Bujanov ...

(UÇPMB) was founded in Dobrosin by Shefket Musliu, an auto mechanic and highest commander of the UÇPMB. The group began attacking Serbian civilians and police, with the goal of joining

Preševo Preševo ( sr-Cyrl, Прешево, ; , ) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 33,449 inhabitants. It is the southernmost town in Central Serbia a ...

Medveđa Medveđa ( sr-Cyrl, Медвеђа, ; , ) is a town and municipality located in the Jablanica District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 6,360, while the town has a population of 2,993. Etymology The ...

and

into Kosovo, which escalated into an insurgency. Earlier in March 2001,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

allowed Yugoslav forces to take back the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) sector by sector in an attempt to decrease the amount of fierce fighting between the UÇPMB and Yugoslav troops. In early 2001, a UÇPMB fighter died in an accidental explosion at a weapons depot.

Končulj agreement

On 21 May, 2001, the

Končulj agreement The Končulj Agreement is a colloquial name for two statements, the Basic UÇPMB statement signed about the Insurgency in the Preševo Valley, signed by the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB) and the Statement on cond ...

was signed between Shefket Musliu, Mustafa Shaqiri, Ridvan Qazimi, and Muhamet Xhemajli. The agreement was witnessed by Sean Sullivan, who was the NATO Head of Office in the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

(FRY). At the same time, the Serbian side agreed to sign the Statement on conditional amnesty for members of the UÇPMB, which promised amnesty to UÇPMB members from 23 May 2001. The insurgency continued until 1 June 2001 when it officially ended.

References

Populated places in Pčinja District Kosovo–Serbia border crossings Albanian communities in Serbia {{PčinjaRS-geo-stub