Elez Isufi, a patriot and people’s leader in the fight for the protection of the national independence and territorial integrity of Albania, and for the democratization of the country’s life, was born in Sllovë, Dibra. At the head of the patriotic forces from Dibra, he faced the Serbian invaders in 1912. He supported the national government of Vlora and opposed the separatist and divisive activity of Esat pashë Toptani and his followers. He led the armed uprising, which broke out in the province of Dibra on August 15, 1920, for the liberation of the lands of the Albanian state occupied by Yugoslav armed forces. Elez Isufi continued the fight until December 1921, when the Serbs were finally forced to retreat to the border established in 1913. In the movement to democratize the country’s life of 1921–1924, Elez Isufi sided with the progressive forces. He was among the organizers of the March Movement of 1922; the forces led by him arrived in Tirana and took control of a part of it. He participated in the Democratic Revolution of June 1924 and fought to realize the democratic government program headed by Fan Noli. In the battle fought in Peshkopia, on December 16, 1924, against the forces of Ahmet Zogu, he was seriously injured and died after 13 days. (In the photo; Elez Isufi)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1053.
Photo: © https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elez_Isufi
Graphic processing: AHCF
