Mefail Shehu, also known as Mefaili i Madh or Mefail Zajazi (1898 – November 1945), was a

Balli Kombëtar The Balli Kombëtar (literally ''National Front'') was an Albanian nationalist, Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborationist, and anti-communist resistance movement during the Second World War. It was led by Ali Këlcyra a ...

military commander and leader of the Kicevo region during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was a close associate of Xhem Hasa.

Biography

Early life

Mefail Shehu was born in Zajas in 1898. His ideology of

Albanian nationalism Albanian nationalism is a general grouping of nationalism, nationalist ideas and concepts generated by ethnic Albanians that were first formed in the 19th century during the Albanian National Awakening (). Albanian nationalism is also associated w ...

was formed during his adolescence. As a child, Shehu witnessed the terror of the Serbian royalists under King Alexander where 11 Albanian populated villages in the east of Kicevo were razed.

1939 and onwards

Shehu was against the Italian occupation and in 1939 formed his own

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

to fight against the

fascists Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social h ...

. On 19 April 1941, Kicevo was occupied by German forces. On 22 June 1941, Kicevo became a part of the new Albanian state under Germany. At this time, Mit'hat Frashëri published the

program around the new Albanian state. The Balli Kombëtar ideology greatly appealed to Shehu. Shehu formed the Balli Kombëtar in Kicevo and held many demonstrations to rally support. The people of Kicevo supported the Balli Kombëtar over the

communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

. The Balli Kombëtar committee held a meeting in Zajas in 1942. Representatives of the Albanian tribes that attended the meeting elected Shehu as military commander of the region. Shehu transformed the bands of militia into a proper army. Shehu's battalion patrolled villages around Zajas while commander Mefail Mehmeti(Mefail i Vogel) and his battalion patrolled from Greshnica to Kicevo. Shehu's third elected commander, Begzat Vuli operated from Kicevo to Berikove. At that period, the Ballists successfully repelled the

Yugoslav partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...

. Shehu not only fought in Zajas but also in

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

Gostivar Gostivar ( ; sq-definite, Gostivari) is a city in North Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is the seat of one of the larger municipalities in the country with a population of 59,770, and the town also covers . Gostivar has ...

and Debar. While fighting away from Zajas, Shehu became associated with Xhem Hasa. In October 1943, a general assembly was called in Zajas. It was decided that the chairman of the committee of the Balli Kombëtar will be Mefail Shehu, along with Mefail Mehmeti as vice chairman, Begzat Vuli as treasurer and Skender Presevo as under prefect. As the Albanian partisans and Yugoslav partisans were on the rise and the Germans reducing its aid to the Balli Kombëtar, Shehu was gradually losing his territory to the partisans.

Death

In November 1945, Mefail Shehu was killed in an ambush with his remaining soldiers by the partisans.
He was referred to as a ''traitor'' by the pro-Yugoslavian

Albanian Communists The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the P ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shehu, Mefail 1898 births 1945 deaths 20th-century Albanian military personnel Albanian anti-communists Albanian Muslims Albanian collaborators with Nazi Germany Albanians in North Macedonia Balli Kombëtar People from Kičevo Municipality People from Manastir vilayet People killed by Yugoslav Partisans