In an effort to quell Albanian resistance in Kosovo during the final months of World War II, ethnic Albanians from Yugoslav territories were forcibly mobilized and relocated to the so-called “Adriatic Front.” They were gathered and escorted by Albanian officers to the military barracks in Prizren, where they were disarmed alongside the officers and surrendered to the 27th Brigade of the 45th Serbian division, notorious for its brutal treatment of the Albanian population.

The displacement occurred in two stages with three groups. The first group of 3,700 individuals set out on March 24, 1945, enduring barbaric mistreatment by the 9th Serbian brigade during their journey by ship, resulting in the deaths of 65 individuals. Two days later, the second group of approximately 4,700 people embarked on their journey. Upon their arrival in Tivar on April 1, they were subjected to a mass massacre. The third group of around 2,700 individuals set out on March 27, 1945, arriving in Tivar on April 2, where approximately 800 of them were poisoned, leading to the deaths of the majority.

Archival sources estimate that between 2,947 and 3,447 Albanians were killed and massacred in Tivar, with around 1,000 casualties occurring during the journey itself.

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