North Macedonia
Tighter checks at Qafë-Thanë for Albanians from North Macedonia on day of Tirana’s national protest
According to police sources, officers are searching vehicles closely for banned items and for groups that may join the protest in the capital.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 24, 2026, 10:59 · Updated 18:40 · 1 min read
In brief
- Checks at the Qafë-Thanë border crossing have been stepped up for two days for those entering from North Macedonia.
- The Border Police and the State Police are searching vehicles in detail.
- Sources speak of advance information about groups traveling toward Tirana.
The Qafë-Thanë border crossing, the main gateway between Albania and North Macedonia, has seen stepped-up checks for two days. According to Euronews Albania, as carried by Portalb.mk, the measures affect Albanian citizens entering Albania from North Macedonia.
What is being checked
Police sources said Border Police and State Police officers have been deployed at the entrance to the crossing and are carrying out detailed vehicle searches. The checks are linked to suspicions that banned items are being transported, as well as the possibility that groups of people from North Macedonia are traveling to Tirana to join the announced protest.
According to the same sources, police had advance information about these groups moving toward the capital, which led to the tighter measures. Authorities have not given figures on the number of vehicles checked or on any seizures.
National protest
The protests in Tirana began on Oct. 13 with students’ demands for better conditions at universities and lower tuition costs, and later broadened to include a demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. According to published figures, 646 people were taken in for questioning over 10 days, of whom 283 were arrested and 363 are being prosecuted without detention.
A national protest outside the Prime Minister’s Office had been called for Saturday, Oct. 24, with students from various cities, university lecturers, doctors, artists and business representatives expected to take part. Qafë-Thanë, which links the Pogradec area with Struga and Ohrid, is the crossing most used by Albanians from North Macedonia traveling to Tirana.
