PRISTINA, Kosovo- Kosovo authorities have launched investigations into a second suspected mass grave in the country’s north, days after forensic teams recovered the remains of at least seven people from another suspected wartime burial site nearby.
The latest suspected grave was identified over the weekend, with Acting President Albulena Haxhiu saying investigators believe it may also contain victims of the 1998–1999 Kosovo war.
“Suspicions of a second mass grave are a stark reminder of the crimes committed during the war and evidence that justice has not yet been fully served,” Haxhiu said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Police and prosecutors said they are seeking court approval to begin excavations at the newly identified site in the village of Jabuka, approximately 10 kilometres from the ongoing excavation area in Zubin Potok.
Search Continues for Missing War Victims
The discovery comes as forensic experts continue excavations at the original site, where authorities believe the remains of as many as 23 people could be buried.
Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla said recovery operations remain underway as investigators work to establish the identities of those buried at the site.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who visited the excavation site on Saturday, said he believes those buried there were abducted and executed during the final months of the conflict.
“They were violently abducted and executed,” Kurti said during his visit.
Forensic teams confirmed the recovery of seven sets of human remains on Saturday. Kurti has suggested they may belong to intellectuals from Mitrovica, including doctors, professors and human rights activists who disappeared on April 19, 1999.
However, prosecutors have cautioned that forensic identification is still ongoing and that confirming the identities of the victims and their connection to the conflict could take several months.
War Crimes Investigation Underway
As investigations continue, police have arrested three men from the local area on suspicion of committing war crimes, according to prosecutors. Authorities have not disclosed further details regarding the allegations as investigations remain active.
The 1998–1999 Kosovo war, fought between ethnic Albanian independence fighters and Serbian security forces, claimed approximately 13,000 lives and left around 4,000 people missing.
Although decades of investigations have led to the recovery and identification of thousands of victims, an estimated 1,600 people remain unaccounted for, making the search for mass graves a continuing humanitarian and judicial priority.
Justice and Reconciliation Remain Elusive
The latest discoveries highlight the enduring legacy of the Kosovo conflict, nearly three decades after the war ended.
Efforts to locate missing persons have been slowed by continued political tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, with Belgrade still refusing to recognise Kosovo’s independence.
While both governments previously agreed to establish a joint commission aimed at accelerating the search for missing persons, progress has remained limited, with families of the disappeared continuing to await answers about the fate of their loved ones.
