2023-05-30 06:17:22
【2023.5.30 Kosovo】
Serbian riots in northern Kosovo: The Serbian army is preparing for war, and the conflict between the two countries is on the verge of breaking out?
“Violent protests broke out among the Serbs in Kosovo… Serbia is eyeing it?” Serious riots broke out in the Balkan country Kosovo on May 29. More than 30 NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo were attacked and injured by Serbian protesters. The cause of the riots was that Serbs living in northern Kosovo boycotted mayoral elections in four local cities and opposed the inauguration of mayors of Albanian descent (the main ethnic group in Kosovo) who were elected with extremely low turnout. The Kosovo government still appointed four mayors to take office on May 26. The Serbs broke out strong dissatisfaction and surrounded the local city hall building to prevent the new mayor from entering. The Serbs, like neighboring Serbia, have never recognized Kosovo as an independent country. Once once more tense, Serbia assembled a large army to send troops to the Kosai border; following the riots broke out on the 29th, Serbia ordered the border army to enter a state of high readiness, and the situation was extremely tense.
The population of Kosovo is predominantly Albanian (90%), but the four northern cities – Zvecan, Leposavic, Zubin Potok and North Mitrovy North Mitrovica – the majority of residents are Serbs. Since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, the relationship between the Albanian residents and the Serb residents in the country has been tense for a long time. The Serbs refuse to recognize that Kosovo is an independent country. To Serbia, and continue to ask the Kosovo authorities to implement the “Brussels Agreement” concluded by the two parties under the mediation of the European Union in 2013, which grants autonomy to the northern Serb regional parliament.
In April, the northern Serb regions boycotted local elections and refused to vote. The turnout rates in Zvecan, Leposavik, Zubin Potok and North Mitrovica were all below 3.5%, and all were run by Albanian mayors. After winning the election and the Albanian control of the parliament; the new mayor was appointed by the central government of Kosovo on May 26 (the United States and its allies condemned the Kosovo government), Serb dissatisfaction deepened, and the situation in the north became more chaotic and tense-Last week, Kosovo police Insisting on armed escort of the new mayors of the four northern Serb cities into the municipal building, neighboring Serbia has assembled its troops to the Kosovo border.
The anger of the Serb protesters has intensified with the tough action of the Kosovo police. After the original Serbian flag was removed from the government buildings in the four cities and replaced with the Kosovo flag, the Serb anger reached a peak.
On May 29, serious clashes broke out in Zvecan, Lebsavik, and Zubin Potok. Serb protesters blocked the Albanian mayor from entering the municipal building. The Kosovo police and NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo tried to The protesters were dispersed, and violent clashes broke out between the two sides. Dozens of NATO soldiers were affected, suffered burns and fractured bones.
“Archyde.com” quoted Zvecan’s witnesses as saying that the Kosovo police (the Serbs have quit the police force in 2022) sprayed pepper gas to disperse the Serbs who broke through the barricades and tried to break into the city hall, and the Serbs threw tear gas and bombs at NATO soldiers. Flash bombs, spray paint on NATO’s armored vehicles and “Z”, which is the word that the Russian army often wrote on tanks during the Russo-Ukraine War.
In Leposavik, where riots also took place, peacekeepers laid barbed wire around the municipal building to prevent Serbian protesters from breaking in, and protesters threw eggs at the parked mayor’s car.
The nationalities of the wounded NATO soldiers were from Italy and Hungary. The Hungarian Ministry of Defense pointed out that there were more than 20 Hungarian soldiers among the wounded, seven of whom were seriously injured but in stable condition; Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that 11 soldiers were injured. Italian soldiers were wounded, three of them seriously. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and NATO Kosovo Force both condemned the violence. Meloni said:
“What is happening is absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible. We will not tolerate further attacks on KFOR. The most important thing right now is to avoid more unilateral actions by the Kosovo authorities. All parties should take a step back to ease the situation.” intense situation.”
U.S. and EU envoys called a meeting of Albanian mayors from four northern cities in the Kosovo capital Pristina, hoping to de-escalate the situation, but only Zvecan Mayor Ilir Peci and Zubin Potok Izmir Zeqiri attended.
On the other hand, Serbian President Andrej Vučić said 52 Serbs were injured in the riots, three of them seriously; Vučić accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of creating tension and called on Kosovo to The Serbs avoided conflicts with NATO soldiers. At the same time, Serbia moved its troops to the area near the northern border of Kosovo on May 26. Vucic repeatedly repeated the argument that “the Serbs in Kosovo are threatened by terrorism”;29 After the violent protests on the 1st, Vucic ordered the Serbian army to enter the highest level of readiness.
The direct cause of the incident is the long-term “abnormal” relationship between Kosovo and Serbia. Serbia and the Serbs have always refused to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty. Facing the riots, Kurti responded: “The Kosovo Security Forces are just to ensure that the elected mayor can govern on behalf of the voters.” He called on all parties to remain calm, and pointed out that Kosovo and Serbia must return to the oral agreement reached in February 2023. The agreement will continue the process of “normalizing” relations between the two countries and avoid the threat or direct use of force. Kosovo President Osmani (Vjosa Osmani) further accused Vucic of destabilizing Kosovo, saying on Twitter:
“Those who carry out Vucic’s orders and destabilize northern Kosovo must be tried.”
Goran Rakic, chairman of the Serb party Srpska Lista, which is supported by the Serbian government and is dominant in northern Kosovo, talked with NATO troops and local Serbs in Zvecan on May 29. The troops and foreign representatives in Kosovo demanded the departure of the Kosovo police, which he called “illegal”, and the withdrawal of all army soldiers deployed around the municipal buildings to the north.
Long before the violence broke out on May 29, relations between Serbia and Kosovo had been under high tension for months. Kosovo declared independence in February 2008, and its status as a sovereign state was granted by 101 countries including the United States and the European Union. UN member states recognize it, but Serbia has never recognized the fact of Kosovo’s independence, relying on Russia’s support behind it (Russia, China, North Korea and other countries have the same attitude).
The Serbs in Kosovo still regard Serbia as their legitimate government. In 2022, the relationship between the Serbs and the Kosovo government will deteriorate due to the issue of license plates – regarding 50,000 Serb residents in northern Kosovo refuse to use license plates issued by the Kosovo authorities , but use the license plate issued by the Serbian government. The Kosovo government therefore launched a fine plan, requiring Serb residents to change to Kosovo license plates. The Serbs therefore deployed roadblocks in the northern region and blocked roads connecting with other parts of Kosovo; November 2022 , Serbs working in Kosovo’s public sector even expressed their protests with a large-scale resignation of the license plate fines—including regarding 600 Serb police officers.
Serbia’s influence is also involved. Vučić claimed that he will “take all measures to protect our people and Serbia”, and he sent troops to the Kosovo border and ordered the army to go on alert. The BBC reported that Serbia’s domestic media began to release news that “Kosovo The government is preparing to attack northern Serb areas” to justify Serbia’s military build-up along the border. Kosovo directly accused the Serbian government of being behind the blockade of roads in Serb areas.
Later, under the mediation of the European Union, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement, Kosovo abandoned the fine plan, and Serbia agreed to stop “registering and issuing license plates” for cities in Kosovo. However, this agreement did not ease the situation. The Serbian government continued to insist that Kosovo should implement the “Brussels Agreement”, which required the autonomy of the northern Serbs. The pro-Serbian “China” and Kosovo also accused Serbia of obeying Russia’s orders and deliberately provoking troubles in the Western Balkans in order to divert international attention from the Russia-Ukraine war.
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