Kosovans in the United Kingdom

Last updated
Kosovo Albanians in the United Kingdom
Regions with significant populations
London
Languages
Albanian  · British English
Religion
Islam, Christianity, irreligious

Kosovo Albanians in the United Kingdom refers to Kosovo Albanians who have settled or are temporarily living in the United Kingdom. The earliest arrivals from Kosovo settled in London in the 1990s, with pockets of arrivals in other cities. [1] The 2011 Census recorded 28,390 Kosovo-born residents (of all ethnicities) in England and 56 in Wales. [2] The censuses of Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded 215 and 44 Kosovo-born residents respectively. [3] [4]

Contents

During the Kosovo War, some Kosovans claimed asylum in the UK. During 1998, there were 7,980 applications from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia citizens, of whom most were Kosovo Albanians. [5] The number of asylum applications received from Kosovo (excluding dependants) was 140 in 1996, 600 in 1997, 4,580 in 1998 and 9,850 in 1999. Between 15 June and 13 September 1999, consideration asylum claims from the FR Yugoslavia was suspended, with asylum seekers who had applied prior to 24 March 1999 given one year's exceptional leave to remain. On 13 September 1999, the Home Secretary announced that due to the improved security situation in Kosovo, all asylum claims by Kosovo Albanians would be judged on individual merits again. In the majority of cases, claims would now be refused unless there were exceptional circumstances. [6]

In addition to asylum seekers, 4,346 refugees were evacuated to the UK between 25 April and 25 June 1999 as agreed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and were either granted family reunification rights, if they had family members who had been through the asylum process, or were given leave to remain in the UK for one year. 68 people arrived through later medical evacuations. [6] The first request from the UNHCR was received by the Home Office on 20 April and was agreed within an hour. The first plane of refugees from Kosovo arrived in the UK at Leeds-Bradford Airport on Sunday 25 April. There were 161 refugees, mainly women and children, including three cases in need of medical treatment. The second plane of 169 refugees arrived at East Midlands Airport on 29 April. [7] Return flights enabling refugees to return home commenced on 19 July 1999. [8]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

Kosovo War 1998–1999 armed conflict in Kosovo

The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which controlled Kosovo before the war, and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The conflict ended when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened by beginning air strikes in March 1999 which resulted in Yugoslav forces withdrawing from Kosovo.

Kosovo Partially recognised state in Southeastern Europe

Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a partially recognised state in Southeast Europe. It lies at the centre of the Balkans, occupying an area of 10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi), with a population of about 1.9 million. Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008, and has since gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by 97 member states of the United Nations. It is bordered by Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest, and Montenegro to the west. Most of central Kosovo is dominated by the vast plains and fields of Dukagjini and Kosovo. The Accursed Mountains and Šar Mountains rise in the southwest and southeast, respectively. Its capital and largest city is Pristina.

United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo Officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall objective, namely, to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advance regional stability in the Western Balkans."

Greater Albania Nationalist concept to unite "traditionally Albanian" territories

Greater Albania is an irredentist and nationalist concept that seeks to unify the lands that many Albanians consider to form their national homeland. It is based on claims on the present-day or historical presence of Albanian populations in those areas. In addition to the existing Albania, the term incorporates claims to regions in the neighbouring states, the areas include Kosovo, the Preševo Valley of Serbia, territories in southern Montenegro, northwestern Greece, and a western part of North Macedonia.

Yugoslav Wars Series of wars fought in Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001

The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies fought in the former Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001, leading up to and resulting from the breakup of the Yugoslav federation in 1992. Its constituent republics declared independence due to unresolved tensions between ethnic minorities in the new countries, which fueled the wars. Most of the wars ended through peace accords, involving full international recognition of new states, but with a massive human cost and economic damage to the region.

Operation Horseshoe

Operation Horseshoe was a 1999 alleged plan to ethnically cleanse Albanians in Kosovo. The plan was to be carried out by Serbian police and the Yugoslav army.

Music of Kosovo is part of the European culture and refers to the music of the Kosovan people, dominated by the music of Kosovo Albanians which constitute the majority of population, and to a lesser extent the inactive music of small minority groups within the Republic of Kosovo.

Kosovo during the 20th century history has largely been characterised by wars and major population displacements. The region formed a part of numerous entities, some internationally recognised, others not.

Kosovo Serbs Ethnic group

Kosovo Serbs are one of the ethnic groups of Kosovo. There are around 100,000 Kosovo Serbs as of 2014 and about half of them live in North Kosovo. Other Serb communities live in southern Kosovo. After Albanians they form the second largest ethnic community in Kosovo (4-7%).

Koreans in the United Kingdom include Korean-born migrants to the United Kingdom and their British-born descendants tracing ancestries from North Korea and South Korea.

Serbs in the United Kingdom

British Serbs or Serbs in the United Kingdom are Serbs and people of Serbian ancestry in the United Kingdom.

The Albanian diaspora are the ethnic Albanians and their descendants living outside of Albania, Kosovo, southeastern Montenegro, western North Macedonia, southeastern Serbia, northwestern Greece and Southern Italy.

The Albanians in Germany refers to the Albanian migrants in Germany and their descendants. They mostly trace their origins to Albania, Kosovo and to a lesser extent to North Macedonia and other Albanian-speaking territories in the Balkan Peninsula. Their exact number is difficult to determine as some ethnic Albanians hold German, North Macedonian, Serbian or another Former Yugoslavian citizenship.

War crimes in the Kosovo War War crimes committed during the Kosovo War

A series of war crimes were committed during the Kosovo War. The forces of the Slobodan Milošević regime committed rape, killed many Albanian civilians and expelled them during the war, alongside the widespread destruction of civilian, cultural and religious property. According to the Human Rights Watch, the vast majority of the violations from January 1998 to April 1999 were attributable to Serbian police or the Yugoslav army. Violations also included war crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army, such as kidnappings and summary executions of civilians. In 2014, the Humanitarian Law Center released a list of people killed or gone missing during the war, including 8,661 Kosovo Albanian civilians, 1,797 ethnic Serbs and 447 civilians of other ethnicities such as Romani people and Bosniaks.

United Nations Security Council resolution 1199, adopted on 23 September 1998, after recalling Resolution 1160 (1998), the Council demanded that the Albanian and Yugoslav parties in Kosovo end hostilities and observe a ceasefire.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1239

United Nations Security Council resolution 1239, adopted on 14 May 1999, after recalling resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998), the Council called for access for the United Nations and other humanitarian personnel operating in Kosovo to other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Kosovo refugees in Albania

Kosovo refugees in Albania refers to the mostly ethnic Albanians of Kosovo fleeing the Kosovo War into neighboring Albania in 1999. This crisis was exceptional at the time, as a movement of population this big in such a short period of time was unseen since WWII. In addition to the ones going to Albania, a large number of Kosovo refugees fled to the Republic of Macedonia. Almost all of the remaining 500,000 to 600,000 individuals in Kosovo were also displaced in the region itself, without leaving it.

Albanians in the United Kingdom include immigrants from Albania and ethnic Albanians from Kosovo.

Demographics of Kosovo Demographics of country

The Kosovo Agency of Statistics monitors various demographic features of the population of Kosovo, such as population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Censuses, normally conducted at ten-year intervals, record the demographic characteristics of the population. According to the first census conducted after the 2008 declaration of independence in 2011, the permanent population of Kosovo had reached 1,810,366.

Dua Lipa English singer and songwriter (born 1995)

Dua Lipa is an English singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco-pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Grammy Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, two Billboard Music Awards, an American Music Award, and two Guinness World Records.

References

  1. ↑ "Kosovans: Refugees or migrants". Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR). Archived from the original on September 26, 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  2. ↑ "2011 Census: QS213EW Country of birth (expanded), regions in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Country of birth (detailed)" (PDF). National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "Country of Birth - Full Detail: QS206NI". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Bloch, Alice (1999). "Kosovan refugees in the UK: the Rolls Royce or rickshaw reception?". Forced Migration Review. 5: 24–26.
  6. 1 2 "In response to an FOI request for information concerning the number of applications for asylum received by the Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD) during the period, and for each year, from 1992 to 1999, made by individuals from Kosovo" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Hansard, Statement by the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Jack Straw), 5 May 1999, accessed 16 September 2019
  8. ↑ O'Brien, M., Kosovar Refugees, Hansard, 12 July 1999, accessed 17 September 1999
  9. ↑ Savage, Mark (9 February 2016). "Dua Lipa: A pop star in waiting". BBC News . Retrieved 7 May 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.