Sunday, August 31, 2008

Todor Aleksandrov: Macedonian Robin Hood


Todor Aleksandrov fought for a free and united Macedonia, he was fought under VMRO against the Turks as a fifth faction in the Balkan wars. Because Macedonia was portioned and occupied under new enemies, Todor Aleksandrov believed the Macedonian question has not been settled so he reorganized VMRO to free Macedonia and unite it in an autonomous state. Todor Aleksandrov openly stated that “The Macedonian question is not Bulgarian, but simply a national Macedonian question”.On the 20th of June 1920, Todor Aleksandrov encouraged all the VMRO members in Vardarska Macedonia to vote for the communists and for anyone else who is for a Yugoslavian federation. Todor Aleksandrov in July 1923 stated that he is ready to fight for the annexation of Aegean Macedonia to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia under the condition that it obtains autonomy. Todor Aleksandrov was one of the signatories of the May Manifest, where it asked for a free and united Macedonia, Dimitar Vlahov in his memoirs explains that Todor Aleksandrov withdrew after from his signature as the May Manifest was not the same as the original (before the May manifest was going to be introduced, there was some dirty games being played which apparently have not been exposed in our history yet).Todor Aleksandrov’s daughter, Marija Koeva (who now lives in Sofia, Bulgaria) has explained that the reason why her father withdrew from his signature was that he didn’t want VMRO to become a party, Todor Aleksandrov wanted VMRO to stay as a fatherland patriotic organization, as Macedonia still hadn’t become a country.When Dimitar Vlahov was serving Todor Aleksandrov, VMRO was very united, the Macedonians were all united, however this in turn was not welcomed for the Serbian and Bulgarian propaganda, hence with their propaganda Serbia and Bulgaria tried to disrupt the unity in VMRO.Todor Aleksandrov’s success was that the Macedonians accepted him and were ready to risk their lives for him and Macedonia.During the time Todor Aleksandrov entered Vardarska Macedonia and traveled there, out of 17,000 normal soldiers that Yugoslavia had (not including border patrol guards chetniks, etc), 12,000 were stationed in Macedonia, in such circumstances, Todor Aleksandrov entered Vardar Macedonia, a man from the plains of Macedonia, he ate black bread with the poor villagers, he was one of them, he saw how they lived and could not bear the neighboring states build wealth on the poor Macedonians back.In the Macedonian mountains Todor Aleksandrov conducted interviews, met with foreign diplomats and journalists which he gave interviews to, he held discussions for Macedonia in London, Rome and Vienna.On 31st of August 1924, on Pirin Mountain Todor Aleksandrov was killed while he was eating, along with his bodyguard, Panzo Zafiro from sveti Nikole and Aleksandar Protogerov from Ohrid, with the death of Todor Aleksandrov, VMRO was also wounded.While heading to the congress of the Serskiot revolucioneren Okrug, Todor Aleksandrov met with Dimcho Balkanski and Dimcho Sugarski, as they were traveling to Lopovo, they rested and ate, it was then when Dimcho Balkanski killed Panzo Zafirov and Todor Aleksandrov, and it is interesting how Aleksandar Protogerov was not touched.The son of Panzo Zafirov said that “first my father was killed, then Todor Aleksandrov, I was born after the death of my father, the Serbian officials did not let my mother Christen me for 6 months because my father was the bodyguard of Todor Aleksandrov, My father was not a Bulgarian agent, nor a Bulgarian police officer, and if he was that, then he would have moved his whole family to Sofia how normally all the spy’s do”.Panche Kocev Ivanov from the village of Vrsakovo, Shtipsko said “It was like Todor Aleksandrov could foresee the future, when I was carrying him across the river Bregalnica he told me the following”; “The day will come when Macedonia will be a state, but I will not await that day”.The real killers of Todor Aleksandrov were the Bulgarian government along with Aleksandar Protogerov, they organized this dirty act at the expense of the greed of Aleksandar Protogerov for his desire to be in government of Bulgaria and to become leader. Aleksandar Protogerov stated the following after the death of Todor Aleksandrov “It is tough without Todor Aleksandrov, it is even tougher with him”Todor Aleksandrov was not killed in a Bulgarian courtyard, or in a street in Sofia, his destiny was to be killed on Macedonian land, on the legendary Pirin.Todor Aleksandrov was traveling to the Serskiot congress to strengthen the principles of VMRO, because people from the caliber of Aleko Vasilev and Georgi Atanasov (also involved in the murder of Todor Aleksandrov), Aleko Vasilev and Georgi Atanasov found it in themselves to control the assets and lives of the people from Petrichkiot Okrug, when Aleko Vasilev and Georgi Atanasov are killed, in their bank books were found a huge number of money stolen from VMRO, Todor Aleksandrov was a firm moral believer of VMRO and that the money of the organization is the money of the poor Macedonian people. Todor Aleksandrov is sung in many folk songs, it is not logical for a revolutionary who is sung by the people to be a traitor.When Todor Aleksandrov was killed, The Bulgarians and the Serbs were rejoicing the most, The Bulgarians were saying “More useful dead” and the Serbs were saying “The terror for our land is dead”, The Macedonians were however saying “Macedonia died”.

Boris Sarafov & the Sarafov movement.




Sarafov travelled to Vienna, Paris and London in order to lobby for the Macedonian cause, he always met with high ranking officials and members of parliament to explain the situation of the Macedonians in Macedonia.Sarafov was at odds with a few Vojvodi in VMRO, one prime example would be during the congress of Rila in 1905, Jane Sandanski accused Sarafov of accepting money from the Serbs and allowing the settlement of Serb cheti in Macedonia, Sandanski also accused Sarafov of organising his own armed cheti in order to weaken VMRO and seize the leadership of VMRO.The good qualities of Sarafov however was that he kept Europe informed on what was happening in Macedonia, as the Ottomans restricted Journalists in Macedonia and gave biased information to the press, during his travels he also tried to raise additional money for the struggle to free Macedonia.Many poltiicians from England and America had a negative opinion on Sarafov, Brailsford, Sonnichsen, Wyon and Smith all presented him as a spy on the payroll of Ferdinand (Prince of Bulgaria).It is wise to note that, after the Rila Congress of VMRO, Sandanski was prepared to kill Sarafov, however Gjorche Petrov intervened to appease and persuade Sandanski that there would be no benefit eliminating Sarafov as all the Leaders of VMRO need to be united in order to face all their enemies who were more numerous (Greeks, Serbs, Vrhovisti, Turci, Albanian gangs)





Many people don't realise that VMRO after 1903 was split in diffrent factions, the three factions were,
1) The moderate conservatves, who refused to modify the structures of VMRO (the statutes on 1902 which gave full control to the central committee, who had full powers.The main leaders of this group were Tatarchev, Dame Gruev (two of the six co-founders from 1893). After the Rila congress, they were isolated after the Rila congress and were forced to accept assistance from Sofia even though they were against this.
2) The Radicals - the group of the left, The group consisted of Jane Sandanski, Dimo Haji Dimov, Pere Toshev, Gjorche Petrov and Petar Pop Arsov (Petar Pop Arsov was one of the co-founders of VMRO in 1893). The Radicals rejected foreign aid from Bulgaria and refused to fall under the influence or dependence of any of the Balkan states.
3) The Sarafov circle - The third faction was based on Sarafov, he was a vital factor of the Macedonian movement. Sarafov presented two distinct aspects; acts of terrorism (assassination attempts, murders), and an influence on the international press, by using his charming side. Sarafov was also a negotiator "from the shadows" who, in the European capitals conducted meetings with the Great powers at the time trying to find a solution to the "Macedonian Question".








"Boris Sarafov continued to play a leading role. Always an ambiguous character, he continued to be a link between VMRO, of which he was a member, and the government of Sofia. In 1904, because of his extremist views and of the influence that he had in Bulgaria as well as in Macedonia, he was a supplementary factor of dissension and tension within VMRO".In March 1904 in Sofia, Boris Sarafov met with a confidential envoy of Prince Ferdinand named Gerov. This was interpreted by Muller, the author of the Austro-Hungarian report, that the monarch sought to approach an agent of VMRO.Boris Sarafov, a popular former officer of the Bulgarian army, was the best intermediary that he could find. According to Muller, Prince Ferdinand would look for an understanding with Sarafov because he knew that he was in opposition with Gruev as well as Petrov and Sandanski. Perhaps this was the moment that Sofia thought, to exercise an influence on the Macedonian movement. According to Austro-Hungarian sources, these meetings of April 1904 did not go beyond exchanges of views, but they anticipated a new period of contacts between Sarafov and Prince Ferdinand.









Sarafov met with representatives of the imperial government (Austro-Hungary), in order to convince them that VMRO claimed only autonomy for Macedonia vilayets and further that it could be in the interest of the dual monarchy to encourage this movement so at to prevent Russia from considering an intervention in the region.Sarafov suggested that if, in the favor of the Macedonian movement, their economic interest could be threatened by attacks.

There was also false promises that Bulgaria will rise and help Macedonia free itself, where was Bulgaria to help Macedonia with their empty promises?. After the Ilinden upspring, the Vrhovisti agents in VMRO took off to Bulgaria while the Macedonians and the true VMRO freedom fighters stayed and went through the hostility and hardships together with the Macedonian people.

Who betrayed Gjorgji Sugarev?






















Ligushev was under the command of Sarafov after they had a secret meeting in Bulgaria where Sarafov paid Ligushev to be a puppet. Sarafov might have been for Macedonia in 1895 but this is from 1905 when he became a servant of Vrhovizam. Sugarev has been documentated to have been a strong opposer to Sarafov and his Vrhovizam. "Takvite orudija najmnogu se sozdadoa od koga se beshe vratil P. Ligushev od Sofija... i beshe se stretnal so B. Sarafov" - G.P. Hristov (talking about the secret emeting) cit. Spomeni, Str 113 Sarafov was elected the delegate for VMRO for Bitola instead of Sugarev and Ligushev was secretary for VMRO, instead of electing Sugarev, Sugarev was sent to the hardest locations and where he can easily be killed.



List of all 22 Komiti including the Vojvoda Sugarev who died at Paralovo.


1 - Angel (Ace) Krstov - Zhitoshanex od Krushevo


2 - Risto Velev - Karche Od Krushevo


3 - Jovche Avramov - Ljuba od Krushevo


4 - Volcho Mojsovski od selo Gorno Charlija


5 - Gjorgji Josifovski od selo Dolno Srpci


6 - Dojchin Josifovski od selo Dolno Srpci


7 - Gjorgji Sugarev od Bitola


8 - Pande Chachorovski od selo Dolno Srpci


9 - Kosta Anev Grashevski od selo Dolno Srpci


10 - Stevan Gavazo od selo Dolno Srpci


11 - Grozdan Stojanovski od selo Loznani


12 - Dime Ralevski - Bibeto od Selo Loznani


13 - Riste Markovski (Gajdovski) od selo Beranci


14 - Cvetan Mateski od selo Klepach


15 - Ilija Koleski od selo Ivanjevci


16 - Andon Nochevski od selo Ivanjevci


17 - Acko Sekulovski od selo Podino


18 - Momir Dimkovski od selo Sveti Todori


19 - Petre Angelkovski od selo Sveti Todori


20 - Filip Srbinoski od selo Novoselan


21 - Nikola Shentereski od selo Loznani


22 - Riste Gargoski od selo Beranci