Albania’s “Flamingo Revolution”: Kushner-Backed Resort Triggers Mass Protests

A $4.6 billion (? €4 billion) luxury resort planned for Sazan Island and the adjacent Vjosa-Narta lagoon is promoted by an investment vehicle linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Construction began in May 2026, prompting nightly protests in Tirana.

Associated Press

Sazan and the lagoon form a protected wetland hosting flamingos, sea turtles, monk seals and 279 threatened species. In 2024 Albania amended its protected-area law to allow “high-end tourism” in such zones, a change tied to the project. EU accession requires compliance with Chapter 27 environmental standards.

Jared Kushner’s Albanian seaside resort project sparks ‘flamingo revolution’

• Cost: $4.6 bn / €4 bn.

PBS News Hour

• Island area: 1,400 ha.

Albanian protests over Kushner-linked resort project grow into anti-government rallies

• Vjosa-Narta hosts ~70 endangered species and 20 % of the Mediterranean’s remaining intact deltas.

Mongabay

• Albania recorded 12 million tourists in 2025.

Euronews

Prime Minister Edi Rama says the project “will go ahead” and that “habitats will be protected,” framing it as vital for tourism and EU integration. The European Commission urged Albania to “act without delay” on environmental compliance. SPAK opened a probe into land-ownership changes and the “strategic investor” status granted to the developer. Sazan developer Asher Abehsera’s office stresses “responsible stewardship.”

‘It’s not just flamingos’: Opposition grows in Albania over Trump-linked resort project

Environmental NGOs, led by Aleksandër Trajçe (PPNEA), call the bulldozers “destroying the dunes” and label the site a “wild west.” Opposition MP Redi Muçi links the protests to systemic corruption. Villagers such as 81-year-old Kostaq Konomi assert the land was sold without consent and allege forced exclusion by armed guards.

Daily Beast

Thousands gather nightly in Tirana’s central square, waving cardboard flamingos and chanting “Albania is not for sale.” In coastal villages, residents have torn down barbed-wire fences and confronted private security; video of an activist being dragged went viral.

The Independent

The project lacks a completed environmental impact assessment and has not received formal planning permission, according to NGOs. Villagers present deeds showing the land was returned to private owners after communism, while the government maintains it is privately owned. Kushner’s direct role remains unverified.

Dutch secrecy rules hide backers of Trump-linked Albanian resort

• “There is no chance for this investment to stop as long as I am here.” —

Associated Press