When Kostaq Konomi approached what he says is his land on the seafront in southern Albania last month, he was met with a barbed wire fence and men in black uniforms who refused him entry.

Albania's Sazan Island is a jewel in the Adriatic Sea. The former Cold War-era base is now in a luscious nature preserve and an inviting prospect for real estate developers. Chief…

When Kostaq Konomi approached what he says is his land on the seafront in southern Albania last month, he was met with a barbed wire fence and men in black uniforms who refused…