Human remains believed to belong to victims of the Kosovo war or individuals still listed as missing have been uncovered in Pec and Prizren, the Kosovo Commission on Missing Persons announced on Monday.
According to the Commission, the remains were found and exhumed during planned field activities at two separate locations. Forensic examinations and DNA analyses are now underway to determine the identities of the individuals.
“In these locations, one in Pec and one in Prizren, remains were discovered and exhumed that may potentially belong to war victims and persons who are still listed as missing. The process of verification and pathological examination will continue in accordance with legal and professional procedures,” the Commission stated.
Families will be notified once identification is confirmed, authorities added.
Over 1,500 People Still Missing
The issue of missing persons remains one of the most sensitive and unresolved legacies of the conflict in Kosovo, continuing to strain relations between Serbs and Albanians.
The latest European Commission report highlights that 1,590 individuals are still listed as missing. Between April 2024 and the same period in 2025, the identities and fates of 26 missing persons were clarified.
According to the report, Kosovo’s police and the Institute for War Crimes have strengthened their capacities, while civil society remains actively engaged in initiatives focused on truth-seeking, reconciliation, and remembrance.
However, families and experts argue that political will remains the key obstacle.
“Political will is the main barrier. Expectations were high after the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia in December 2024, but meetings were halted. The European Union has not done enough to prioritize this issue,” Bekim Blakaj, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, told KoSSev earlier.
One Year After Agreement, Limited Progress
Although the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue produced a joint Declaration on Missing Persons and a commission was formed to implement it, progress has been slow. Nearly a year has passed since its establishment.
In recent months, several exhumations have taken place at different locations across Kosovo, raising hopes that more families may finally receive answers.
Decades of Uncertainty
The fate of missing persons from the Kosovo conflict has remained unresolved for more than two decades. Between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2000, an estimated 10,093 civilians of various ethnic backgrounds were killed or disappeared.
At the end of the conflict in 1999, between 4,400 and 4,500 people were believed to be missing, with around 6,065 cases officially recorded. More than 4,000 cases have since been resolved through international mechanisms, including the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
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