Stranded in Syria
Uncertain times for the many Bosnians that are still detained in Syria. A former pop star came back out of nowhere and familiar faces are returning to the Balkans.
Good morning, everyone!
Winter’s knocking on our doors, and we’re more than ready to answer. By the end of the week, the whole Balkan Brew newsroom will be back in Italy, kicking back and enjoying some time off for the holidays. Speaking of Italy, looks like more and more Croats are heading to Trieste to stock up on cheaper groceries (yep, you heard that right—groceries are now apparently cheaper in Italy than in Croatia. Whaaat?!).
This week, we’re diving into the stories of Bosnians stranded in Syria and an unlucky former Albanian pop star. Oh, and let’s not forget — Trump is taking office in a month. What’s he got planned for the Balkans?
Just to be clear: this is the final edition of 2024. We’ll be back, refreshed and stronger than ever, on January 10, ready to bring you all the news and curiosities from our favorite region.
PROMO TIME. Are you still looking for the perfect Christmas/New Years gift?
Take a look at this gracefully illustrated edition of “10 Poems” by the famous Sarajevo poet Izet Sarajlić, translated in English by Maria Fekete Sullivan and illustrated by Aleksandra Nina Knezević, available both on soft cover and e-book format. Published by Styles Writes Now.
Stranded in Syria
Around 160 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently stuck in Syria, according to Radio Slobodna Evropa. This follows the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime a couple of weeks ago. Nobody knows what’s next for them.
STAYING PUT. About 30 of them are in Idlib, a city that’s been under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (the group that toppled Assad) for several years. They’re now celebrating the fall of the regime and have no intention of returning to Bosnia.
UNCERTAINTY. The rest are stuck in prisons or camps for former members of the Islamic State, waiting for any updates on their fate.
NO HELP. The situation in these camps was bad before, but now it’s even worse. "No trucks with goods are entering, no food or bottled water is being brought in. No clinics are even open,” a Bosnian woman detained in the Al-Hol camp told RSE.
BRING (SOME) HOME. Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with Kosovo and North Macedonia, are the only countries that have publicly agreed to repatriate adult male ex-ISIS fighters from Syria—though the success of these efforts has been limited.
A SORE RECORD. Back in 2015, Bosnia ranked fourth among countries with citizens who joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq, with a total of 92. In 2019, 25 of them — including 6 women and 12 children — were repatriated.
AND THE REST? Many former foreign fighters and their families remain stuck in prisons and camps. So far, Bosnia and Herzegovina has no plan to bring any more of its citizens back home.
A singer of songs
It’s been ages since Albania last heard from Parashqevi Simaku, the 80s pop sensation — until last week, when a familiar face suddenly appeared on US local news.
THAT 80s VIBE. Parashqevi was a superstar back in the 80s, winning multiple editions of the song festival organized by the Albanian Radio-Television (RTSH). Her discography is packed with hits like Në të të rinishë and E duam lumturinë, which are now absolute classics of Albanian pop.
GO WEST. Like many Albanians, in the early 90s Parashqevi left the country. She moved to the US, got married, and tried to keep her music career alive.
STATICS. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out. Parashqevi disappeared from the spotlight, and no one really knew what became of her.
SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK. Fast forward to last week: a US TV segment featured a woman in need, receiving help from volunteers. Albanian viewers immediately recognized her as their beloved Parashqevi, the singer they’d never forgotten.
MOTHER TONGUE. In later videos, Parashqevi admitted she’d almost “forgotten how to speak Albanian” after so many years and encouraged people to reach out to her on Facebook, where she still has a profile.
ONE OF MANY. We’ll skip the details, but Parashqevi’s story struck a chord in Albania, a country deeply shaped by emigration. After the fall of communism, there was a massive exodus — between 1989 and 2001, 700,000 Albanians left, and the male population dropped by 20%. For many, Parashqevi’s story isn’t just nostalgic — it’s painfully familiar.
All around me are familiar faces
Oh yeah, we’re talking about him. Richard Grenell, former Trump envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, is back in the spotlight as the soon-to-be Trump administration gears up.
A SPECIAL ROLE. Grenell tried to snag the Secretary of State position but didn’t make the cut. After turning down the role of Director of National Intelligence, he’s landed as Trump’s presidential envoy for special missions.
404 NOT FOUND. What’s this role about? No one really knows—it’s missing a job description. But a source close to Trump told Reuters that Grenell will focus, among other things, on tensions in the Balkans.
WHY SO MUCH ATTENTION? In his previous stint overseeing the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, Grenell was pretty active. If you want the full rundown, check out Balkan Brew’s special issue on the US elections.
‘MURICA. The new US administration won’t officially take office for another month, but Trump’s impact is already being felt in the Balkans. Croatia’s Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, announced that the country will hit 2% of GDP defense spending by 2025.
BUSINESS AS USUAL. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual in Bosnia and Herzegovina: more people close to Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik just got slapped with another round of US sanctions for helping him dodge… previous sanctions.
IN OTHER NEWS.
RSE just published an investigation about migrants from the Philippines being exploited in Kosovo after entering the country through Albania.
Two months after the devastating floods that claimed many lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Ministers has finally approved a plan to distribute 20 million BAM (around 10 million EUR) in financial aid to the affected communities.
Meanwhile, students in Serbia are still protesting against the government, with universities across the country staying blocked. But it looks like the authorities may have found a way to "handle" the situation — by moving the start of winter break from December 30 to December 24.
AND FINALLY. Authorities in Slovenia are currently debating where to bury the remains of around 3,000 people taken from a WWII mass grave known as Grobišče Jama pod Macesnovo Gorico (The Grave Abyss under Larch Hill). Most of the bodies belong to members of the Nazi-collaborationist group Domobranci, who were killed by Yugoslav communist forces at the end of WWII.
Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar is leading the talks to find a “dignified burial” spot, but political parties can’t seem to agree on where that should be. Experts have pointed out that “Slovenia’s landscape is quite literally filled with undocumented human remains” from WWII.
PLAYIN’ WITH THE BOYS. When you think about sports in Turkey, basketball and football probably come to mind. But for the past few years, volleyball has been making waves — so much so that, according to the BBC, Turkey is now considered “a volleyball country”.
That’s it for this week, and for 2024. Balkan Brew is taking a well-deserved break for the next couple of weeks and we’ll be back on January 10th, hopefully more relaxed and definitely a bit rounder. Thanks for reading this newsletter. If you like it, feel free to forward it to someone who might be interested. And if you’ve just received this, consider subscribing!
We wish you all happy holidays, and we’ll see you on the other side.
Take care,
BB