October 1, 2001 In February 2001, news of a sudden outbreak of unrest in the Balkan Peninsula nation of Macedonia, often known as the gunpowder capital of Eastern Europe, hit the headlines. The Islamic Albanian armed rebels occupied an Albanian village in the north of Macedonia over the demands of the Albanian citizens, who represent a third of the 20 million-population, to reinstate their human rights. The Macedonian government forces responded with a military offensive. In no time at all, military confrontations flared up in every area of the country, developing into an "ethnic conflict" between the Islamic Albanians and Christian Slavs. In July 2001, I headed for Tetovo, a town 40 kilometers west of the capital, Skopje, to see what kind of life the citizens were leading in the areas of conflict.   "Just after midday about 4 months ago, I was sitting in the garden drinking my coffee, when I suddenly heard the sound of gunfire. Then shots started to whiz over my head and I began to shake with fear. Nine Macedonian police soldiers approached with guns pointed at me. "Get out of here," they threatened. I was so frightened that I didn't even have time to put my shoes on. I quickly ran away from my house." This 55-year-old Albanian citizen and housewife, Susan, took refuge for some time in Turkey, where her children have immigrated, but returned to Tetovo in July. Her home was in a hilly area about a mile from the center of town and her house could easily be observed from the foothills. Her husband went to check what had happened, but discovered that their house had been ruthlessly burnt to the ground. It was a huge shock. She had just moved into her sister's house in the center of the town when I spoke to her. "As well as being too old to work, my husband is also suffering from diabetes. My children are busy with their own lives. Although I am staying with my sister, I don't want to bother her for much longer. I don't have much money saved and I'm very uneasy when I think about the future. I just don't know what to do." While she was in Turkey, she had been temporarily able to forget reality, but was overcome with stress on her return to her home country and wept inconsolably. Furthermore, the conflict was still continuing in front of her. The sound of gunfire could be heard in evenings from the hilly region a few kilometers a way. I climbed with Susan to the third floor roof of a building still under construction. Orange flashes of occasionally lit up the darkness. You could not see the people hiding in the mountains, but you could see the houses. Explosions went off in residential areas, with huge clouds of smoke billowing high into the sky, mixing with the evening clouds. I rushed to take a picture with my camera. At that moment, a shattering sound rang out, louder than fireworks. From behind us, across the so-called residential area where the general public lived, projectiles flew nonchalantly overhead. My hand on the shutter began to shake.   Ten miles to the east of the capital of Skopje lies the predominantly Albanian village of Arachinovo. The innumerable bullet marks on the houses, blown off roofs, scattered shards of glass, a misfired rocket missile buried in the entrance of a civilian home… the damage was very clear here. The village was attacked in June and many of the inhabitants found refuge in Skopje or outside the country. However, a few people remained. A 60-year-old retired pensioner, Mehmet was holding out and trying to build a shelter in the garden of a nearby house with a few of his friends. "The Albanian armed rebels don't scare us. The Albanians are hard workers and have pure hearts. They protect each other. They are the kindest Muslims in the world." In spite of Mehmet's relaxed conviction, he could easily be in danger of losing his life. A rocket missile had landed by the side of the shelter. There was also a five-meter square hole in the nearby car park. "The Muslim houses and mosques in the village are being destroyed. However, the Christian area has not been attacked. My house has come under fire and the electrical appliances have been stolen." Mehmet says, angry at the government army's offensive.   The fighting at Arachinovo ceased in late June, less than a month after it began. However, because both the Albanian armed forces and the Macedonian government army repeatedly broke the ceasefire, even while they were negotiating for peace, the civilians were concerned that the fighting could start up again any minute and did not fully believe in any temporary ceasefires. Very few inhabitants had returned by early July and the village remained deserted. The smell of rotting food emanated from the shops that had been pillaged and the stench filled the air. Mehmet switched to growing his own food during the conflict. He picked cherries and apricots and baked with the flour that he had in stock already. He milked cows. He kept in touch with his family in the capital of Skopje by mobile telephone. He hopes that, "If the peace continues, my wife and daughter will be able to return to the village soon." In mid-August, thanks to the intervention of Europe and the U.S., an agreement for a ceasefire was established and the Albanian armed rebels agreed to lay down their arms for the first time. An army of 5,000 NATO soldiers from 12 countries was dispatched to Macedonia and 3,300 weapons were confiscated from the Albanian armed rebels. In September, the Macedonian government agreed to consider in earnest the reinstatement of human rights for the Albanian citizens. In Parliament, the amendment of an article in the constitution saying that, "Macedonia is a country created for Macedonians," was strongly considered and they decided to review the introduction of Albanian as a public language, and possibly posting Albanians in government public offices. It seems that Macedonia is finally beginning to recover from the chaos of conflict. However, many Albanian citizens have already lost their homes and are experiencing great disruptions to their daily lives. It seems that the Macedonian authorities, in ensuring a renewed confidence in the government, must help to relieve the troubles of its citizens as it moves towards recovery. ("WORLD TREND" October 2001 issue, issued by Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization) ("netway" Volume No. 53, Winter Edition, 2002, issued by Metropolitan Expressway Service Promotion Association) Two articles from the above periodicals have been edited together.