Albanian Civil War (1943-1944)

Albanian Civil War
	Part of World War II in Albania
	; A Picture of the Conference in Mukje
Date	1 October 1943–29 November 1944
Location	Albania
Result	LANÇ Victory Start of Communism in Albania;
Belligerents
LANÇ; Supported by; United Kingdom; Yugoslav Partisans	Balli Kombëtar ; Legality Movement; Supported by; Germany
Commanders and leaders
Enver Hoxha; Dalip Ndreu ; Mehmet Shehu ; Mehmet Bajraktari ; Gjin Marku ; Tahir Kadare ; Hysen Stafa ; Hulusi Spahia; Edmund Davies (POW); Arthur Nicholls †	Abaz Kupi; Mid'hat Frashëri; Ali Këlcyra; Abas Ermenji ; Aziz Çami † ; Muharrem Bajraktari ; Halil Alia ; Mark Gjon Marku; Maximilian von Weichs
Strength
70.000 Soldiers	Unknown
	Casualties:~3000

The Civil War in Albania was an armed conflict during World War II, fought alongside the National Liberation Anti-Fascist War. It pitted the Albanian Communists against Balli Kombëtar and the Legality Movement.

The Mukje Conference and Prelude to the Civil War

From August 1-3, 1943, in the village of Mukje in Krujë, under the influence of Abaz Kupi, a joint meeting was held between the delegates of the LANÇ and the Balli Kombëtar. The purpose was to unite Albanian forces under a single front to fight against the occupiers. Initially, discussions began in the village of Tapizë, near Krujë, on July 26, before being moved to Mukje. The two groups reached an agreement in principle and signed the Mukje Agreement, which proposed the formation of the Committee for the Salvation of Albania, a united front against the occupiers, and the creation of an Ethnic Albania.

Text of the Mukje Agreement

"Today, on August 1, 1943 (01.08.1943), in the village of Mukje, the second meeting was held between the delegations of the Balli Kombëtar and the LANÇ."

The chairmanship of the meeting was unanimously entrusted to Mr. Thoma Orollogaj, with Mustafa Gjinishi as secretary. The discussions were opened by Mr. Hasan Dosti, a delegate of the Balli Kombëtar, who declared that after consultations with the leadership of the Balli Kombëtar, the minutes of the agreement made on July 25, 1943, signed "ad referendum" by the delegation of the Balli Kombëtar, it was deemed necessary to review certain points of the reached accord.

The following points were discussed and decided:

- Point One of Article Two was amended to read as follows:
-Immediate war against the occupying enemy and any other potential occupying enemy.
- Point Two: War for an independent Albania and the implementation of the universally recognized principle guaranteed by the Atlantic Charter of the self-determination of peoples for an Ethnic Albania.
- Point Three: Amended and accepted as follows: A free, independent, democratic, and popular Albania.
- Point Four: Amended and accepted as follows: The Council for the Salvation of Albania (K.SH.SH.) will lead to the formation of a provisional government.
- Point Five: Amended and accepted as follows: The form of the regime (the future of Albania) will be determined by the people themselves through a Constituent Assembly elected by universal direct suffrage.

Participating Delegations

- Balli Kombëtar Delegates:** Hasan Dosti, Mid'hat Frashëri, Thoma Orollogaj, Skënder Muço, Hysni Lepenica, Isuf Luzaj, Kadri Cakrani, Major Raif Fratani, Nexhat Peshkëpia, Halil Mëniku, Ismail Petrela, and Vasil Andoni.

- LANÇ Delegates:** Lieutenant Colonel Jahja Çaçi, Myslim Peza, Abaz Kupi, Ymer Dishnica, Mustafa Gjinishi, Omer Nishani, Sulo Bogdo, Shefqet Boja, Medar Shtylla, Haki Stërmilli, G. Nushi, and a certain Stefan.

Reaction of the Yugoslav Partisans

Initially, even Enver Hoxha accepted the agreement, but this greatly angered the Yugoslav envoys stationed with him. They pressured Hoxha to reject the Mukje Agreement, and on September 2, during the Labinot Conference, he declared war on the Balli Kombëtar.

Formation of the Legality Movement

Dissatisfied with not being consulted about the breakdown of the Mukje Agreement, the royalists led by Abaz Kupi announced their split from LANÇ and formed their own movement, the Legality Movement. They advocated for the return of Ahmet Zogu to power, as they considered him the legitimate (legal) authority in Albania.

Civil War

Phase 1: Southern Albania

The Civil War in Albania began in the south, where the two main groups, LANÇ and the Balli Kombëtar, fought each other. The fighting caused many deaths, especially from communist forces. On September 8, 1943, the communists executed six Ballist youths in Ziçisht, and fighting had also occurred earlier in places like Libohovë.

The war officially started on October 1, 1943, when Enver Hoxha told the communist forces to fight Balli Kombëtar and abandon talks of unity. From then on, there were many clashes, with the communists killing or capturing members of Balli Kombëtar in several battles.

In November, Balli tried to fight back with the help of German forces, but they lost control of southern Albania. The communists, with support from British forces, were able to break the German-Ballist encirclement and take control of key cities like Berat and Elbasan.

Phase 2: Northern Albania

As the Balli forces retreated north, fighting spread to central and northern Albania. In spring 1944, communists clashed with Ballist forces in places like Elbasan and Dibër. The communists continued to fight Balli Kombëtar in areas like Kavajë, Shijak, and Tirana.

In the fall of 1944, the communists attacked Balli forces in Kosovo, Shkodër, and other regions. On June 1, 1944, communist forces moved into central and northern Albania. The fighting continued throughout the summer, and by the fall, communist forces gained control of most of northern Albania.

In August 1944, nationalist forces formed a government in Tirana led by Mit'hat Frashëri and Abaz Kupi. Despite some attempts to create alliances, the communists’ numerical strength helped them win. The communists captured the northern city of Shkodër on November 28-29, 1944, and the war officially ended with communist control over all of Albania.

After the War

After the war, anti-communist forces organized the Lidhja e Maleve (League of the Mountains), which led anti-communist movements in the northern regions of Albania. In 1945-1946, two major anti-communist uprisings took place in Postribë and Koplik, but both failed. The communist regime created the Forcat e Ndjekjes (Pursuit Forces) to track and eliminate anti-communist leaders, particularly Muharrem Bajraktari and Mark Gjon Marku.