| dc.description.abstract | The Kosovo War of 1998 – 1999 saw many forms of mass violence. The war over Kosovo, then a Serb province, was fought between the Serb/Yugoslav army and the separatist Kosovar Albanian UÇK-movement, who sought independence for Kosovo. Serb forces, under the command of Milošević, committed atrocities against the Kosovar Albanian population. This research focuses on the question of whether these acts of mass violence can be considered genocidal and does so by applying the UN-definition of genocide onto this conflict and by analyzing various primary sources. This definition is split into three parts. First, the victimized group, Kosovar Albanians, is determined and primary sources prove that they were targeted because of their ethnic and national identity. Second, primary sources prove that Serb forces committed their violent acts intentionally with the aim of destroying Kosovar Albanians. Lastly, the acts of violence itself are investigated with the use of primary sources and these acts correspond with the acts of genocidal violence as stated in the UN-definition. The intentional violence committed by Serb forces against the Kosovar Albanian population during the Kosovo War can thus be called genocidal. | |
