Overview
- Thousands of people marched in Tirana late Thursday to oppose a proposed luxury resort on Sazan Island and the Vjosa‑Narta coastal wetlands, with protesters carrying inflatable flamingos and demanding a halt to works.
- Albania’s Special Anti‑Corruption Prosecution Office (SPAK) has opened an investigation into land titles, the origin of purchase funds and the 2024 legal changes that enabled fast‑track approvals for the project.
- Videos showing heavy machinery, barbed‑wire fences and clashes between protesters, private security and police intensified the unrest and led authorities to suspend some security licences and officials.
- Prime Minister Edi Rama has publicly defended the investment as a national development opportunity and said environmental impact assessments are being prepared and must be complied with.
- Key facts remain unclear about the deal: an investor was granted 'strategic' status in 2024, corporate ownership and funding sources have not been fully disclosed, and diaspora rallies and wider political fallout are planned.