Excavations have begun at newly discovered mass graves in Kosovo, believed to contain victims from the 1998-99 war. The search is particularly focused on finding the remains of some 1,600 people, including intellectuals, who went missing during the conflict and are thought to be buried in unmarked graves.

The recent discoveries near the village of Kalluder e Vogel in the northern municipality of Zubin Potok started in late July, following the identification of human remains. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti indicated that authorities suspect the victims could be among the missing intellectuals who may have been captured while attempting to flee the region to evade Serb forces.

Erblin Ademi, whose father Adem Ademi was among 22 intellectuals who disappeared in April 1999, expressed a mix of hope and pain as the excavations commenced. "Always, when we hear about the beginning of the excavations, there is a mixed feeling, a feeling of hope and a feeling of pain," Ademi said. "No matter how many years pass, the feeling of pain will always exist … but at the same time there has always been hope, a feeling that finally the truth will be revealed."

Kosovo’s war, which saw ethnic Albanians rebel for independence from Serbia, resulted in approximately 13,000 deaths. An agreement reached in May 2023 between Serbia and Kosovo included commitments from both sides to clarify the fate of those missing. However, progress has been hampered by mutual accusations of stalled efforts, with organizations like the Humanitarian Law Center noting a lack of cooperation from authorities.

The European Union has urged both Kosovo and Serbia to normalize relations as a step toward their potential membership in the bloc.

In connection with the mass graves, Kosovo police arrested two ethnic Serbs last month on suspicion of war crimes. They remain in custody. Several high-ranking Serbian political and military officials have previously been tried and convicted of war crimes at a U.N. tribunal in The Hague.

For families like the Ademis, the excavations offer a chance to provide a final resting place and honor their loved ones. "Every human being has the right to have a grave where they can be visited, where they can be honored, where they can be remembered," Ademi stated. "We are very hopeful that this will be the end, no matter how long the whole process will take, we will wait until we can honor them as they deserve."