Ohrid–Debar Uprising

The Ohrid–Debar uprising (Macedonian: Охридско-Дебaрско вoстание, Ohridsko-Debarsko vostanie; Albanian: Kryengritja e Dibër-Ohrit; Serbian: Охридско-дебарски устанак, Ohridsko-Debarski ustanak; Bulgarian: Охридско-Дебърско въстание, Ohridsko-Debarsko vastanie) was an uprising in Western Macedonia, then Kingdom of Serbia, in September 1913. It was organized by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) and by local Albanian leaders against the Serbian capture of the regions of Ohrid, Debar and Struga after the Balkan Wars.

The rebellion started only two months after the end of the Second Balkan War. The Albanian government organised armed resistance and 6,000 Albanians under the command of Isa Boletini, the Minister of War, crossed the frontier. After an engagement with the Serbians the forces took Debar and then marched, together with a Bulgarian band led by Petar Chaoulev, Milan Matov and Pavel Hristov expelled the Serbian army and officials, creating a front line 15 km east of Ohrid. However, another band was checked with loss at Mavrovo. Within a few days they captured the towns of Gostivar, Struga and Ohrid, expelling the Serbian troops. At Ohrid they set up a local government and held the hills towards Resen for four days.

After a fortnight of fierce fighting, a Serbian army of 100,000 regulars suppressed the uprising. Thousands were killed, and tens of thousands of local inhabitants fled for Bulgaria and Albania to save their lives. According to the Report by the International Commission of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace the number of Albanians who took refuge from Macedonia was 25,000; many Bulgarian notables were imprisoned or shot, a number of villages were burned.