The event brought together families of the missing, representatives of civil society, and international missions. Participants called for a joint, transparent, and cross-sectoral approach to accelerate identifications and exhumations, rebuild trust, and put an end to decision-making behind closed doors.
In his opening remarks, Miodrag Milićević, Executive Director of NGO Aktiv, stressed that the issue of missing persons remains one of today’s greatest challenges, emphasizing that behind the numbers lies the ongoing uncertainty of families.
Mr. Milićević highlighted that “Institutional efforts to address this issue face daily challenges, including limited resources, slow and insufficiently transparent information exchange, and weak inter-institutional cooperation. International actors, along with institutions in Pristina and Belgrade, must demonstrate greater commitment and operational capacity to accelerate the process and ensure transparency. It is our responsibility not to let this issue fade into oblivion, but to promote joint efforts in the pursuit of truth and justice.”
Nataša Božilović, Coordinator of the Missing Persons Resource Center in Pristina, pointed out that the rights of the families of the missing continue to be violated. She emphasized that “our primary task is to protect those rights, regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation, and to ensure families have access to information.” More than two decades after the war, she noted, families continue facing serious problems, particularly the lack of information, which denies them the right to truth and justice.
Ms. Božilović added “Unbelievable as it may sound, after so many years families still lack even the most basic information about the fate of their loved ones. That is why we organize such gatherings across Kosovo - to provide families with essential updates and create opportunities for them to meet directly with institutions handling these cases. It is crucial that the process is not confined in Pristina or Belgrade, but that we remain present in the communities where families live and wait for answers.”
Nehari Shari, Director of Pro Peace Kosovo, noted that the organization has been supporting families and fostering cooperation between Albanian and Serbian associations for more than two decades.
“Our main focus is dealing with the past, and at the heart of this process lies the issue of missing persons”. Mr. Sharri added that “We have organized numerous trainings, commemorative activities, and meetings of families, because we believe this is the only way to open space for dialogue and mutual understanding.”
Negovan Mavrić, deputy director of the Resource Center and himself a family member of the missing, spoke about the lasting pain carried by relatives whose loved ones never returned. His brother went missing in 1999.
“Living in a family where someone is missing is a pain that never heals. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, not even my worst enemy,” Mavrić said. “When someone is missing from your home, it leaves a wound no one can overcome. My brother was kidnapped after the war, when we thought the madness had ended, but the suffering continued. I know what it means to live in constant fear, waiting for a phone call—that is an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
He recalled the case of Bajram Çerkinaj, former director of the Resource Center, who spent 27 years searching for his son before passing away. “To fight for nearly three decades and die without learning the fate of your child is a burden no family should bear. He fought for all the missing, regardless of nationality or religion,” Mavrić said.
According to him, institutional responsibility remains absent, while families seek only to know where the remains of their loved ones are so they can be buried with dignity. He pointed to an ongoing investigation into a possible mass grave site near Novi Pazar.
“I believe no family knows anything about this, regardless of whose remains they are,” he said. “Everything is kept from the public, probably for political reasons. For us families, the most important thing is to keep searching, while politicians seem unaffected by this pain.”
Luisa Marinho, Head of the Forensic Medicine Team at EULEX, underlined that the search for missing persons and their identification are inseparable and equally challenging aspects of the same process.
“Our team works alongside Kosovo experts at the Institute of Forensic Medicine,” Marinho said. “The first and greatest difficulty is access to information after so many years—finding witnesses or people who can provide useful leads—but memories fade over time. Then there are the challenges of the terrain: altered landscapes, hidden or covered burial sites, all of which make the search extremely difficult. Identification is another hurdle. When remains are found, they are often not in good enough condition to extract DNA. Without DNA analysis, it is difficult to
establish identity. This is why it is essential that families provide DNA samples; without them, the process is nearly impossible.”
Saša Ilić, Director of the Center for Peace and Tolerance, recalled the early attempts to document missing persons in 1999 and 2000.
“At that time, we recorded reports from families. The risks were enormous, freedom of movement was almost nonexistent, and families often searched for the truth on their own, sometimes relying on false testimonies and suffering financial losses,” Ilić said. “We realized that a much stronger NGO with an international character was needed to protect families.”
He noted that even after 26 years, traces are fading and witnesses are losing patience, but families continue to persist.
“The most important thing is to understand that the tragedy of the missing does not belong to just one community,” he said. “It is shared by Serbs, Albanians, and others. Only if we accept this can we close this chapter with dignity. Humanity must come before politics.”
At the conference in North Mitrovica, participants agreed that the issue of missing persons remains an open wound and one of the region’s most pressing challenges. Families continue to demand truth and justice, while civil society and international actors emphasize the need for greater transparency and stronger political will.
Speakers and participants warned that without clear responses from institutions in Belgrade and Pristina, as well as increased international pressure, the process risks further stagnation. Families of the missing underlined that every recovered and identified body brings at least a fragment of peace, but until then, the burden of uncertainty continues to weigh on their lives. They stressed that the fate of missing must remain a priority - not a sidelined issue or bargaining chip in political negotiations.
