Kosovo: clashes between Serbs and NATO-Police are spreading with many injured. The Serbian army remains on the border
Three days ago we wrote to you about the explosive situation that was developing in northern Kosovo. Now the gunpowder starts to detonate. NATO has condemned as "totally unacceptable" the attacks by demonstrators in Kosovo that have injured about 25 of its peacekeepers.
Police and NATO troops clashed with Serb protesters in the north of the country, where there were riots over the inauguration of ethnic Albanian mayors elected following elections boycotted by ethnic Serbs.
Tear gas and stun grenades were used to discourage protesters in Zvecan after they tried to invade a government building.
NATO soldiers have formed a security cordon around two other town halls.
Clashes between members of the Kosovo special forces and Serb employees of the municipality with a Serb majority
This was reported by the RTS channel, according to which, in particular, in the Zvechan community, the special forces used stun grenades. Armored vehicle columns pic.twitter.com/WiLyejjz53— pietro granero (@pietrogranero) May 26, 2023
The crisis dates back to April, when Kosovo Serbs boycotted local elections, allowing ethnic Albanians to take control of city councils with a turnout of less than 4 percent. Farce elections which, however, were considered real by the Albanian-majority government of Kosovo.
Both the EU and the US have criticized the Kosovo authorities for destabilizing the situation in northern Kosovo and warned against any action that could inflame ethnic tensions.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, after years of strained relations between its Serb and predominantly Albanian inhabitants.
Independence has been recognized by the United States and major European Union countries, but Serbia, backed by its powerful ally Russia, refuses to do so, as do most Serbs inside Kosovo. After all, Serbia accepted peace with NATO only in the expectation that, at least formally, Kosovo would continue to be part of its territory.
While ethnic Albanians make up over 90% of the population of Kosovo as a whole, Serbs make up the majority of the population in the northern region.
Army on high alert
Italian and Hungarian peacekeepers were also among those injured in the latest violence on Monday, three of whom remained in serious condition, NATO said. Five people have been arrested in connection with the attacks.
Serbian President Aleksander Vucic said more than 50 Serbs needed hospital treatment and others were injured.
The demonstrators were outraged not only by the inauguration of mayors of Albanian ethnicity, but also by the heavy actions of the Kosovo police, who showed up with rifles and armored vehicles.
Further provoking them was the fact that Serbian flags were removed from municipal buildings and replaced with Kosovo flags.
Kosovo's prime minister, Albin Kurti, insisted the security forces were only ensuring that democratically elected mayors could represent their constituents.
But he has been accused of wanting to create chaos for everyone in the region by trying to install leaders who have no credible mandate. In this chaos, NATO soldiers, including the Italians, were involved and injured.
Now finding a mediation will be very complex.
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The article Kosovo: clashes between Serbs and NATO-Police are spreading with many injured. The Serbian Army Stays on the Border comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/kosovo-si-allargano-gli-scontri-fra-serbi-e-nato-polizia-con-molti-feriti-lesercito-serbo-resta-al-confine/ on Tue, 30 May 2023 07:00:36 +0000.