greeks and occupation of Albania Albanians very unhappy to date

basheer



Joined: 22/12/2008
Posts: 949

Message Posted:
09/03/2010 16:26

Chameria, also known as southern Epirus, is a region, now part of Greece, that extends from the Greek-Albanian border down the coast of the Ionian Sea to Preveza and the Gulf of Arta. Its largest town, Janina (Ioannina), was once regarded as the capital of Albania. Chameria had an Albanian majority population, the Chams, until the region was invaded and incorporated into Greece during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. At that time, large sections of the native Albanian population, in particular the Muslims, were driven out of the country by Greek forces. The remaining Cham Albanians were expelled from their homeland in 1944, following massacres committed by Greek resistance forces under Napoleon Zervas (1891-1957). The Chams fled for the most part to Albania as impoverished refugees, having lost everything they owned. Regarded with suspicion by the new Communist authorities in Albania, they nonetheless managed to form an organization to defend their interests. This so-called Cham Anti-Fasc