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73-535: As of 2023, the town has a population of 13,608 inhabitants. Surrounded by hills to its west and mountains to its east (notably Mount Hajla ), the town is divided in half by, and contains the source of the river Ibar , which gives its name to the local sports clubs FK Ahmad , KK Ibar and OK Ibar . Rožaje is the centre of the Rožaje Municipality within the 25 municipalities of Montenegro. Rožaje annually celebrates its foundation day on September 30. Rožaje

146-693: A ceasefire was agreed in January 1992. The JNA also attacked Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In July 1991, representatives of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), including SDS president Radovan Karadžić , Muhamed Filipović , and Adil Zulfikarpašić from the Muslim Bosniak Organisation (MBO), drafted an agreement known as the Zulfikarpašić–Karadžić agreement . This would leave SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in

219-766: A peace plan was presented by EC mediator José Cutileiro , which proposed the independent state of Bosnia to be divided into three constituent units. Agreement was denounced by the Bosniak leadership on 25 February. On 28 February 1992, the Constitution of the SR BiH declared that the territory of that Republic included "the territories of the Serbian Autonomous Regions and Districts and of other Serbian ethnic entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including

292-460: A deliberate provocation on the day of the referendum. Nikola Gardović , the bridegroom's father, was killed, and a Serbian Orthodox priest was wounded. Witnesses identified the killer as Ramiz Delalić , a gangster who had become a brazen criminal since the fall of communism and was stated to have been a member of the Bosniak paramilitary group the " Green Berets ". Arrest warrants were issued against him and another suspected assailant. SDS denounced

365-659: A federation of the other four republics. That was rejected by the Milošević administration. On 25 June 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared independence. An armed conflict in Slovenia ensued, while clashes in areas of Croatia with substantial ethnic Serb populations escalated into a full-scale war . The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) abandoned efforts to reassert control over Slovenia in July while fighting in Croatia intensified until

438-477: A group of selected Serb officers of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) with the purpose of organizing Serbs outside Serbia, consolidating control of the fledgling SDS parties and the positioning of arms and ammunition. The plan was meant to prepare the framework for a third Yugoslavia in which all Serbs with their territories would live together in the same state. Journalist Giuseppe Zaccaria summarised

511-532: A lesser extent, Croat and Bosniak forces. Events such as the siege of Sarajevo and the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre later became iconic of the conflict. The massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak males by Serb forces in Srebrenica is the only incident in Europe to have been recognized as a genocide since World War II . The Serbs, although initially militarily superior due to the weapons and resources provided by

584-656: A meeting of Serb army officers in Belgrade in 1992, reporting they had adopted an explicit policy to target women and children as the vulnerable portion of the Muslim social structure. According to some sources, the RAM plan was crafted in the 1980s. Its existence was leaked by Ante Marković , the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia , an ethnic Croat from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The existence and possible implementation of it alarmed

657-448: A population of 13,608 in 2023. There are 2 major neighbourhoods within the municipality, Ibarac, and Bandžovo Brdo. Ibarac is split between Lijeva Obala Ibar and Desna Obala Ibar. In the 2023 census, 84.66% declared themselves as Bosniaks . Rožaje is considered to be the centre for the Bosniak community of Montenegro. Bosniaks form the majority in both the town and the municipality itself. Ethnic Albanians , have been present within

730-430: A referendum on independence. On 25 January 1992, an hour after the session of parliament was adjourned, the parliament called for a referendum on independence on 29 February and 1 March. The debate had ended after Serb deputies withdrew after the majority Bosniak–Croat delegates turned down a motion that the referendum question be placed before the not yet established Council of National Equality. The referendum proposal

803-708: A result of the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . A crisis emerged in Yugoslavia as a result of the weakening of the confederation system at the end of the Cold War . In Yugoslavia, the national communist party , the League of Communists of Yugoslavia , lost ideological potency. Meanwhile, ethnic nationalism experienced a renaissance in the 1980s after violence in Kosovo . While

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876-452: A significant role in shaping the cultural and social fabric of the town. Mosques are prominent landmarks in the municipality, serving as places of worship and community gathering. However, Rožaje is also characterized by religious diversity. Alongside Islam, there are minority populations practicing Orthodox Christianity, amounting to 3.06% of the total population. Rožaje is situated on the main road connecting Montenegro with Kosovo , known as

949-492: A sovereign Bosnia as a prerequisite for such a federation. On 25 March, Franjo Tuđman and Serbian President Slobodan Milošević held a meeting in Karađorđevo . The meeting was controversial due to claims by some Yugoslav politicians, the two presidents agreed to the partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 6 June, Izetbegović and Macedonian president Kiro Gligorov proposed a weak confederation between Croatia, Slovenia, and

1022-1281: A sovereign state October 1992–94 : October 1992–94 : May 1992–94 : 1994–95 : [REDACTED] Alija Izetbegović ( President of Bosnia and Herzegovina ) [REDACTED] Haris Silajdžić ( Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina ) [REDACTED] Sefer Halilović ( ARBiH Chief of Staff 1992–1993) [REDACTED] Rasim Delić ( ARBiH Commander of the General Staff 1993–1995) [REDACTED] Enver Hadžihasanović ( ARBiH Chief of Staff 1992–1993) [REDACTED] Leighton W. Smith Jr. (Commander of AFSOUTH ) [REDACTED] Franjo Tuđman ( President of Croatia ) [REDACTED] Gojko Šušak ( Minister of Defence ) [REDACTED] Janko Bobetko ( HV Chief of Staff) [REDACTED] Mate Boban (President of Herzeg-Bosnia until 1994 [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Slobodan Milošević ( President of Serbia ) [REDACTED] Momčilo Perišić ( VJ Chief of Staff) [REDACTED] Radovan Karadžić ( President of Republika Srpska ) [REDACTED] Ratko Mladić ( VRS Chief of Staff) [REDACTED] Fikret Abdić (President of AP Western Bosnia ) ^ From 1992 to 1994,

1095-596: A state union with SR Serbia and SR Montenegro. The agreement was denounced by Croat political parties. Although initially welcoming the initiative, the Izetbegović administration later dismissed the agreement. Between September and November 1991, the SDS organised the creation of six " Serb Autonomous Regions " (SAOs). This was in response to the Bosniaks' steps toward seceding from Yugoslavia. Similar steps were taken by

1168-578: A statement before the Bosnian parliament on 14 October with regard to the JNA: "Do not do anything against the Army. (...) the presence of the Army is a stabilizing factor to us, and we need that Army... Until now, we did not have problems with the Army, and we will not have problems later." Izetbegović had a testy exchange with Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić in parliament on that day. After Karadžić wagered that

1241-482: Is situated on large hills, with the mountains Hajla , Mokra Gora, Ahmica, Krstac, Žljeb , Štedim and Turjak to its east and southeast. Those mountains belong to the northern part of the Accursed Mountains range . The Ibar River flows through it and coniferous forests cover most parts of the unsettled region. Thanks to the river, there are abundant sources of large forests, arable pastures and meadows within

1314-448: Is slowly becoming more preferred over the earlier option for most of the diaspora from other countries. Rožaje is twinned with: Hajla Hajla ( Albanian : Hajlë or Hajla ; Serbian Cyrillic : Хајла ) is a mountain located between the borders of Kosovo and Montenegro . It has several peaks that reach over 2,000 m (6,562 ft), the tallest with a hight of 2,403 m (7,884 ft). The northern slopes contains

1387-685: Is the Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari in Pristina , Kosovo which is 116 km (72 mi) away, compared to Podgorica Airport which is about 180 km (110 mi) away, and has regular flights to major European destinations annually. However, due to the opening of the Bar-Boljare motorway in November of 2021, the time from getting to Rožaje from Podgorica has greatly reduced, and

1460-606: The Constitution of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 28 February 1992. Following Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of independence (which gained international recognition) and following the withdrawal of Alija Izetbegović from the previously signed Cutileiro Plan (which proposed a division of Bosnia into ethnic cantons ), the Bosnian Serbs , led by Radovan Karadžić and supported by

1533-684: The Dayton Accords were signed. The main belligerents were the forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina , the Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia , and the Republika Srpska , the latter two entities being proto-states led and supplied by Croatia and Serbia , respectively. The war was part of the breakup of Yugoslavia . Following the Slovenian and Croatian secessions from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991,

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1606-646: The 19th of April Yugoslav forces would continue pushing the KLA back in Hajla before they were brought to a stop by the KLA defensive positions. In the fierce firefight the Yugoslav army would injure general Besnik Lajçi , who upon his injury would decide to make a last ditch sacrifice to win the battle, would charge at the Yugoslav forces taking advantage of the gunfire of his fellow fighters, Salih Lajçi and Imer Nikçi , going in-between Yugoslav lines leading to casualties on

1679-853: The 2nd day of the Bosnian independence referendum , 1 March 1992, as the first death of the war. The Sijekovac killings of Serbs took place on 26 March and the Bijeljina massacre on 1–2 April. On 5 April, after protesters approached a barricade, a demonstrator was killed by Serb forces. The war was brought to an end by the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina , negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio between 1 and 21 November 1995 and signed in Paris on 14 December. The war came about as

1752-689: The Bosnian Croats. In August 1991, the European Economic Community hosted a conference in an attempt to prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from sliding into war. On 25 September 1991, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 713 , imposing an arms embargo on all former Yugoslav territories. The embargo had little effect on the JNA and Serb forces. Croatian forces had seized weaponry from

1825-589: The Bosnian Muslims could not defend themselves if a state of war developed, Izetbegović observed that he found Karadžić's manner and speech offensive and it explained why the Bosniaks felt unwelcome, that his tone might explain why the others federated by Yugoslavia felt repelled, and that the threats of Karadžić were unworthy of the Serbian people. Throughout 1990, the RAM Plan was developed by SDB and

1898-679: The Bosnian Serbs proclaimed the "Republic of the Serbian People in Bosnia-Herzegovina" (SR BiH, later Republika Srpska ), but did not officially declare independence. The Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on Yugoslavia in its 11 January 1992 Opinion No. 4 on Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina should not be recognised because the country had not yet held

1971-656: The Bosnian government. On 15 October 1991, the parliament of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo passed a " Memorandum on the Sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina " by a simple majority. The Memorandum was hotly contested by the Bosnian Serb members of parliament, arguing the Constitution required procedural safeguards and a two-thirds majority for such issues. The Memorandum

2044-727: The Croat leadership organised autonomous communities in areas with a Croat majority. On 12 November 1991, the Croatian Community of Bosnian Posavina was established in Bosanski Brod . It covered 8 municipalities in northern Bosnia. On 18 November 1991, the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia was established in Mostar. Mate Boban was chosen as its president. Its founding document said: "The Community will respect

2117-571: The JNA during the Battle of the Barracks . The embargo had a significant impact in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the start of the Bosnian War. The Serb forces inherited the armaments and the equipment of the JNA, while the Croat and Bosniak forces obtained arms through Croatia in violation of the embargo. On 19 September 1991, the JNA moved extra troops to the area around the city of Mostar . This

2190-746: The JNA, eventually lost momentum as the Bosniaks and Croats allied against the Republika Srpska in 1994 with the creation of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina following the Washington Agreement . Pakistan ignored the UN 's ban on the supply of arms and airlifted anti-tank missiles to the Bosnian Muslims, while after the Srebrenica and Markale massacres, NATO intervened in 1995 with Operation Deliberate Force , targeting

2263-607: The Kučanska Džamija and the other being the Sultan Murat II mosque. However, there are 2 Orthodox churches that can be found in the municipality, with the ruined Ružica church and Gospođin vrh church allegedly built by the wife of the Serbian king Uroš I . Rožaje is predominantly a Muslim-majority city, comprising 96.52% of the total population. The population of Rožaje is composed largely of Bosniaks, who predominantly adhere to Sunni Islam . Historically, Islam has played

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2336-672: The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH), largely composed of Bosniaks, and the Croat forces in the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) on the other side. Tensions between Croats and Bosniaks increased throughout late 1992, resulting in the escalation of the Croat–Bosniak War in early 1993. The Bosnian War was characterised by bitter fighting, indiscriminate shelling of cities and towns, ethnic cleansing, and systematic mass rape , mainly perpetrated by Serb, and to

2409-632: The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not supported by the majority of Bosnian Croats and Serbs . Consequently, it represented mainly the Bosniaks . 1993 1994 1995 The Bosnian War ( Serbo-Croatian : Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started on 6 April 1992, following several earlier violent incidents. It ended on 14 December 1995 when

2482-697: The Rožaje-Kula-Peć road (Kula being the border post between Montenegro and Kosovo on both sides). It also has a link with Novi Pazar in Central Serbia , through the IB-22 Highway (otherwise known as the Ibarska magistrala) , which is the main regional road that connects Montenegro with Serbia . It is also connected to the rest of Montenegro by a two-laned highway via Berane , which is some 30 km (19 mi) in distance. The nearest airport

2555-533: The Rugova region. They would initially attempt to capture the village of Greater Shtupeç, where the 163rd "Rugova" brigade was located. On 18 April they reached Mt.Hajla which stood as a defense of Greater Shtupeç. The KLA positions werre attacked by a stronger force. After some fighting, the first casualty of the 163rd Rugova brigade of the Kosovo War fell in battle, that being Xhavit Lajçi . After further fighting

2628-747: The Serbian army when the rebellion was quelled. These events resulted in a large influx of Albanians migrating to Albania . During World War II , the city has seen conflict between the Yugoslav Partisans , the Chetniks , the Sandžak Muslim Militia , and the Albanian Vulnetari . Mullah Jakup Kardović , who would end up being a prominent commander of the Militia and would participate in the Battle for Novi Pazar , came from

2701-415: The Yugoslav forces would advance in Hajla and would kill KLA fighter Ramush Lajçi . General Selman Lajçi and 2 other soldiers would go to pick up Ramush Lajçi's courpse but while doing this Selman Lajçi was shot and wounded fatally falling to the ground. His last words would be "Be carefull" which he told his fellow soldiers which retreated back, as commander Selman Lajçi would die from his injury. On

2774-409: The Yugoslav presidency. With additional votes from Montenegro, Serbia was thus able to heavily influence the decisions of the federal government. This situation led to objections from the other republics and calls for the reform of the Yugoslav federation. At the 14th Extraordinary Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, on 20 January 1990, the delegations of the republics could not agree on

2847-432: The Yugoslav side being in the dozens, before he would fall to his injuries. Upon seeing this, the Yugoslav forces retreated from Hajla . This Montenegro location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Kosovo location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bosnian War Military stalemate International recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina as

2920-400: The city, as well as the outskirts, especially villages that are close to the border of Kosovo (such as Dacići, Balotići, Plumci, Bać, Besnik, etc). They enjoy and support mutual relations with the Bosniaks and other ethnicities within the city and have also become an integral part of Rožaje's society. The current population of Albanians living in Rožaje Municipality is 1,176, forming 5.07% of

2993-420: The city. The second most spoken language in the city is Montenegrin (16.55%), Albanian speakers amount to 4.34%, and Serbian speakers amount to 3.02% of the population. A total of 1.82% of the population have not declared their native, or primarily-spoken language. Religion in Rožaje (2023) As Rožaje is one of the only Muslim-majority municipalities, it has several mosques within the city, two notable ones being

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3066-431: The crisis in Yugoslavia deepened after the adoption of amendments to the Serbian Constitution allowing the government of Serbia to dominate the provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina . Until then, Kosovo and Vojvodina's decision-making was independent, and each autonomous province had a vote at the Yugoslav federal level. Serbia, under newly elected President Slobodan Milošević , gained control over three out of eight votes in

3139-403: The democratically elected government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina for as long as exists the state independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to the former, or any other, Yugoslavia". Borisav Jović 's memoirs show that on 5 December 1991 Milošević ordered the JNA troops in BiH to be reorganised and its non-Bosnian personnel to be withdrawn, in case recognition would result in

3212-439: The goal of Serbian nationalists was the centralisation of Yugoslavia, other nationalities aspired to the federalisation and the decentralisation of the state. Bosnia and Herzegovina, a former Ottoman province, has historically been a multi-ethnic state. According to the 1991 census, 44% of the population considered themselves Muslim (Bosniak), 33% Serb, and 17% Croat, with 6% describing themselves as Yugoslav. In March 1989,

3285-406: The government of Slobodan Milošević and the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), mobilised their forces inside Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure ethnic Serb territory. The war soon spread across the country, accompanied by ethnic cleansing . The conflict was initially between Yugoslav Army units in Bosnia which later transformed into the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) on the one side, and the Army of

3358-423: The killing and claimed the failure to arrest him was due to SDA or Bosnian government complicity. A SDS spokesman stated it was evidence that Serbs were in mortal danger and would be further so in an independent Bosnia, which was rejected by Sefer Halilović , founder of the Patriotic League , who stated it was not a wedding but a provocation and accused the wedding guests of being SDS activists. Barricades appeared

3431-463: The leaders of the six Yugoslav republics, and the two autonomous regions, to discuss the crisis. The Serbian leadership favoured a federal solution, whereas the Croatian and Slovenian leadership favoured an alliance of sovereign states. Bosnian leader Alija Izetbegović proposed an asymmetrical federation in February, where Slovenia and Croatia would maintain loose ties with the four remaining republics. Shortly after, he changed his position and opted for

3504-422: The main issues facing the Yugoslav federation. As a result, the Slovene and Croatian delegates left the Congress. The Slovene delegation, headed by Milan Kučan , demanded democratic changes and a looser federation, while the Serbian delegation, headed by Milošević, opposed it. In the first multi-party election in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in November 1990, votes were cast largely according to ethnicity, leading to

3577-401: The massacre that happened in the area resettled in Rožaje. During the Kosovo War in 1999, around 1,000 ethnic Albanians that also managed to escape the war settled in the south of Rožaje. They were mostly from the regions of Drenica and Mitrovica . In 2018, a replica of the Sebilj in Sarajevo has been completed and is currently displayed in the town's main square. The municipality

3650-449: The multi-ethnic Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina – which was inhabited by mainly Muslim Bosniaks (44%), Orthodox Serbs (32.5%) and Catholic Croats (17%) – passed a referendum for independence on 29 February 1992. Political representatives of the Bosnian Serbs boycotted the referendum and rejected its outcome. Anticipating the outcome of the referendum, the Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted

3723-446: The municipality. During the winter months, the surrounding mountains experience a major cold front, with snow and ice being very common within the city, and the municipality itself. The Koppen Climate has been recorded as Cfb, or a marine climate. The city stands at around 1,014m or 3,326ft above sea level. Rožaje is the administrative centre of the Rožaje municipality , which has a total of 25,247 residents. The town of Rožaje itself has

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3796-456: The perception of the JNA as a foreign force; Bosnian Serbs would remain to form the nucleus of a Bosnian Serb army. Accordingly, by the end of the month only 10–15% of the personnel in the JNA in BiH were from outside the republic. Silber and Little note that Milošević secretly ordered all Bosnian-born JNA soldiers to be transferred to BiH. Jović's memoirs suggest that Milošević planned for an attack on Bosnia well in advance. On 9 January 1992,

3869-406: The population, largely boycotted the referendum). The Serb political leadership used the referendums as a pretext to set up roadblocks in protest. Independence was formally declared by the Bosnian parliament on 3 March 1992. During the referendum on 1 March, Sarajevo was quiet except for a Serbian wedding being fired upon. The brandishing of Serbian flags in the Baščaršija was seen by Muslims as

3942-437: The population, to reduce threats of invasions or uprisings by the Albanian locals. It was officially ceded to Montenegro following the Treaty of London in 1913 that ended the war. In 1917, the local Albanian qadi Bajram Balota organised a force of irregulars in the territory held by Austria-Hungary in Montenegro around Berane and Rožaje, with his soldiers and allies persecuting and killing Orthodox Montenegrins. His movement

4015-489: The positions of the Army of the Republika Srpska, which proved key in ending the war. The war ended after the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Paris on 14 December 1995. Peace negotiations were held in Dayton, Ohio , and were finalised on 21 November 1995. By early 2008, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia had convicted forty-five Serbs, twelve Croats, and four Bosniaks of war crimes in connection with

4088-461: The region. In 1797, the Ganić kula , a defensive tower was built from the Muslim side of the Kuči, as they supported the Muslim authority and cultural practices, was built. Nowadays, the tower is currently the town's museum. During World War I, the army of the Kingdom of Montenegro captured the city in 1912 from the Ottoman Empire, during the First Balkan War . Within this time, the Montenegrin Army under King Nikola quickly sought to Serbianize

4161-454: The regions in which the Serbian people remained in the minority due to the genocide conducted against it in World War II", and it was declared to be a part of Yugoslavia. The Bosnian Serb assembly members advised Serbs to boycott the referendums held on 29 February and 1 March 1992. The turnout to the referendums was reported as 64%, with 93% of voters voting in favour of independence (implying that Bosnian Serbs, who made up approximately 34% of

4234-411: The same day the US and European Economic Community (EEC) recognised Bosnia and Herzegovina. Misha Glenny gives a date of 22 March, Tom Gallagher gives 2 April, while Mary Kaldor , and Laura Silber and Allan Little give 6 April. Philip Hammond claimed the most common view is that the war started on 6 April. Serbs consider the Sarajevo wedding shooting , when a groom's father was killed on

4307-440: The spring formation of the Ibar river, and to its southern slopes is the origin of the Bistrica e Pejës (or the Pećka Bistrica) river. Hajla is also the tallest mountain in the northern part of the Accursed Mountains of the Balkans. In Kosovo, Hajla forms part of the 25 km (16 mi) long Rugova Canyon . The closest city to Hajla is Rožaje , in Montenegro . On 17 April 1999 the Yugoslav military began their offensive in

4380-427: The start of the Bosnian War, caused the first casualties of the Yugoslav Wars in Bosnia. In the first days of October, the JNA attacked and leveled the Croat village of Ravno in eastern Herzegovina, on their way to attack Dubrovnik in southern Croatia. On 6 October 1991, Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović gave a televised proclamation of neutrality, it included the statement "it is not our war". Izetbegović made

4453-517: The success of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH). Parties divided power along ethnic lines, so the president of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a Bosniak, the president of the Parliament was a Serb , and the prime minister was a Croat. Separatist nationalist parties attained power in other republics, including Croatia and Slovenia. Meetings were held in early 1991 between

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4526-427: The total population in 2023. The Albanians of this region speak in the Gheg dialect of the Albanian language and are majority Muslims . Albeit very small in terms of population size, the Serbs (2.56%) have also lived in Rožaje for some time, and usually have amicable relations with the other ethnic communities in the city. Bijela Crkva is one of the only Serb-majority villages within the municipality. 3.76% of

4599-432: The total population in Rožaje declared themselves as Montenegrins . Montenegrin , Serbian , Bosnian , and Croatian are mutually intelligible as standard varieties of the Serbo-Croatian language . Like most cities and areas belonging to the Sandžak region, they speak a dialect of the Bosnian language known as " Bošnjački ", with the total amount of speakers declared at 74.05%, as it is the most widely-spoken language in

4672-403: The village of Biševo, which is 4–5km away from the city. After World War II, the city of Rožaje became a part of SR Montenegro , which was ultimately a part of the SFR Yugoslavia . Within this time period, the municipality of Rožaje did not exist, as it was a part of the Ivangrad (now Berane) municipality at the time. During the 1960s, the authorities established the Gornji Ibar company, which

4745-514: The war in Bosnia. Estimates suggest over 100,000 people were killed during the war. Over 2.2 million people were displaced, making it, at the time, the most violent conflict in Europe since the end of World War II. In addition, an estimated 12,000–50,000 women were raped , mainly carried out by Serb forces, with most of the victims being Bosniak women. Clashes between Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs in Bosnia started in late February 1992, and "full-scale hostilities had broken out by 6 April",

4818-434: Was a woodworking/lumber/furniture assembling factory. At one point, the company employed more than 53% of the entire city. It expanded the economic status of the city, and became a focal point for woodworking within the region. In 1992, the Gornji Ibar company was liquidated and subsequently went out of business, which left the city in economic turmoil. During the Bosnian War , the Bosniaks of Foča who managed to escape

4891-473: Was adopted in the form as proposed by Muslim deputies, in the absence of SDS members. As Burg and Shoup note, "the decision placed the Bosnian government and the Serbs on a collision course". The upcoming referendum caused international concern in February. The Croatian War would result in United Nations Security Council Resolution 743 on 21 February 1992, which created the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). During talks in Lisbon on 21–22 February

4964-436: Was constructed in the city in the 1500s, which also contains the turbe of the sultan's body. It is considered to be the oldest mosque in the entire city. In 1700, after the Great Serb Migration , the Albanian clans of the Kelmendi and Kuçi and other tribes like the Shkreli of Rugova established themselves in the region of Rožaje and the neighboring town of Tutin in Serbia. The Shala , Krasniqi , and Gashi also moved in

5037-411: Was debated anyway, leading to a boycott of the parliament by the Bosnian Serbs, and the legislation was passed. The Serb political representatives proclaimed the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 24 October 1991, declaring that the Serb people wished to remain in Yugoslavia. The Party of Democratic Action (SDA), led by Alija Izetbegović, was determined to pursue independence and

5110-467: Was dissolved following a defeat by Austro-Hungarian soldiers on June 18, 1918. In 1919, after the war, Rožaje was one of the main cities that participated in an Albanian revolt, which later came to be known as the Plav Rebellion ( Montenegrin : Plavska Pobuna ), rising up together with the Plav and Gusinje districts and fighting against the inclusion of Sandžak in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes . An estimated 700 Albanians were killed in Rožaje by

5183-414: Was first settled in antiquity by the Illyrians . Evidence of this Illyrian settlement is located on Brezojevica Hill. Later, during the migration of the Slavs , Slavs settled in the area. Rožaje was first mentioned in 1571 and 1585. The settlement surrounding the then fort was called Trgovište, which it was called until 1912. During the Ottoman Empire 's reign over Montenegro, the Sultan Murat II Mosque

5256-463: Was protested by the local government. On 20 September 1991, the JNA transferred troops to the front at Vukovar via the Višegrad region of northeastern Bosnia. In response, local Croats and Bosniaks set up barricades and machine-gun posts. They halted a column of 60 JNA tanks, but were dispersed by force the following day. More than 1,000 people had to flee the area. This action, nearly seven months before

5329-575: Was supported by Europe and the US The SDS made it clear that if independence was declared, Serbs would secede as it was their right to exercise self-determination. The HDZ BiH was established as a branch of the ruling party in Croatia, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). While it called for the independence of the country, there was a split in the party with some advocating secession of Croat-majority areas. In November 1991,

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