Ohrid–Debar uprising

The Ohrid–Debar uprising (Охридско-Дебaрско вoстание, Ohridsko-Debarsko vostanie; 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 Albania against the Serbian capture of the regions of Ohrid, Debar and Struga after the Balkan Wars (1912–13).

Background
The IMRO had discussions with the Albanian revolutionary committee of Sefedin Pustina at Elbasan, Albania, between 12 and 17 August 1913. It was agreed that an uprising would be started against Serbia. A directive dated 21 August planned for a new struggle against Serbia and Greece in Vardar Macedonia and Aegean Macedonia. The IMRO leadership decided for a rebellion in Bitola, Ohrid and Debar, and rallied Petar Chaulev, Pavel Hristov, Milan Matov, Hristo Atanasov, Nestor Georgiev, Anton Shibakov, and others in those regions.

Events
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 Serbian forces the Albanian 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.

CEIP report
According to the International Commission of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report, a Serbian army of 100,000 regulars suppressed the uprising. Thousands were killed, and tens of thousands fled to Bulgaria and Albania. Many declared Bulgarians were imprisoned or shot, a number of villages were burned, and the number of ethnic Albanian refugees from Macedonia was 25,000.

Legacy
After interethnic conflict in Macedonia, recently, Macedonian and Albanian historians have come together to discuss their joint struggle against their imagined common enemy. The 1913 rebellion was the subject of a 2013 conference.