At least 34 NATO peacekeepers, along with members of Kosovo’s police force and members of the public, have been injured during clashes with Serbian protestors, leading to frantic calls for calm from Pristina and internationals.
For its part, Belgrade has called on the international community to step in and pressure Kosovo, warning, though, that “If the Albanian invader shoots, then the situation will be different”.
On Friday, the situation in the Serb majority north of Kosovo deteriorated after ethnic Albanian mayors, elected after Serb officials resigned en masse in late 2022, took office in four municipalities. Serbs abandoned the subsequent vote to elect their replacements following calls to do so from Serbia.
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On Friday, Serbia President Alexander Vucic moved the army closer to the border, putting them on the highest alert level. After a few days of relative calm, on Monday evening, the situation had deteriorated in Leposavic, Zubin Potok, and Zvecan with Serbs throwing Molotov cocktails with nails, firecrackers and stones inside, according to the Italian Defence Ministry.
National police reported protestors throwing tear gas and trying “to cross the security cordons to enter the municipality by force.”
Serbs in the north of the country refuse to recognise Pristina’s sovereignty and instead follow the lead of Belgrade. As such, they do not accept the new mayors elected with the lowest voter turnout in the country’s history.
Despite this, internationals have said the elections were legitimate but asked Kosovo not to enter municipal buildings where “they are not welcome”.
The recently elected Mayor of Leposavic, Lulzim Hetimi, is reported to have spent the night in the municipal building as it is unsafe for him to leave.
In a statement, KFOR gave more details of the situation, “Opposing the most active parts of the crowd, some soldiers of the Italian and Hungarian contingent of KFOR were the object of unprovoked attacks and received traumatic injuries with fractures and burns from the explosion of incendiary devices.”
Commander of KFOR, Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, said he is following the situation and that unprovoked attacks on NATO units are unacceptable.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti expressed concern over the violence and said his forces would continue their work.
“Today, I had a meeting with the ambassadors of QUINT and the ambassador. I am concerned about the violence and condemn the attacks against @Kosovo_Police @NATO_KFOR journalists. Serbian ultra-nationalist graffiti on NATO vehicles is a dark reminder in. We protect peace and security,” Kurti wrote on Twitter.
The prime minister maintains that the protestors in the north are “extremists” led by “Official Belgrade” who are exerting “violent and criminal actions” against police, KFOR, and journalists.
Kurti spoke with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, as at least 12 NATO peacekeeping troops from his country were amongst the injured.
“In a second phone call today with DPM/MFA of Italy Antonio_Tajani conveyed the deep gratitude of the government and people of the Republic of Kosovo for @NATO_KFOR The brave action of the soldiers to maintain peace in the face of violent extremism. I wish a full and speedy recovery to the injured”, Kurti wrote on his social media account.
Tajani noted that Hungarian and Moldovan troops were seriously injured alongside Italian soldiers.
“Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingent were the subject of unprovoked attacks and sustained trauma wounds with fractures and burns due to the explosion of incendiary devices,” it said, adding that KFOR medical units treated the soldiers.
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A NATO spokesperson added that “NATO strongly condemns the unprovoked attacks against KFOR troops in northern Kosovo, which have led to many of them being injured. Such attacks are unacceptable. Violence must stop immediately. We call on all sides to refrain from actions that further inflame tensions and to engage in dialogue.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also commented, stating, “What is happening is absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible. We will not tolerate further attacks on KFOR.”
NATO established the KFOR peacekeeping force following the 1998-1999 war between Serbia and Kosovo and Kosovo’s subsequent declaration of independence in 2008.
The NATO-led multi-national contingents had been deployed to four municipalities to contain “violent demonstrations” as “newly elected mayors in recent days tried to take office,” KFOR said.
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‘If the Albanian invader shoots, then the situation will be different’
Meanwhile, Vucic, in public, called on Serbs in the north not to enter into a conflict with NATO, claiming that 52 Serbs were injured. He added that Serbia is in favour of maintaining peace but that “If the Albanian invader shoots, then the situation will be different.”
State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Nemanja Starovic said that “many” protesters were injured and accused KFOR of using flash grenades. He continued that “peaceful” protestors had dispersed and “would continue to protest tomorrow morning.”
This was followed by comments from Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who warned the international community not to play hide and seek.
“Let’s not play hide and seek and pretend they can’t influence Kurti. What is Kurti? A superpower? Warnings may ring in our ears, but warnings do not make a living. If the US cannot force Pristina to respect that, I don’t know what kind of trust we can have in the international community and in those who are the patrons of that dangerous war adventurism in Pristina,” Dačić points out.
He added that Kurti is solely responsible for escalation in collaboration with the international community. “The result is an insidious plan – Kurti is allowed to do something, the international community pretends to protest,” Dacic said.
Dacic also mentioned that Pristina recently received visa liberalisation and the opening of the admission process to the Council of Europe.
“They say there must be rewards for a constructive approach. So is this a constructive approach? Just don’t let it turn out later that Serbia is guilty of something like that. This must not happen, and Serbia will not allow this,” emphasised Dačić.
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The leaders of the Serbian List – the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo – reconfirmed on Monday that they will not participate in the local elections in the northern municipalities of Kosovo.
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He added that KFOR’s role is not to stand in front of municipal buildings and prevent the Serbian people from returning to the buildings, accusing KFOR of protecting the new mayors while claiming the municipal buildings belong to Serbs.
“In Serbian municipalities, the mayors cannot be those whom none of the Serbs elected,” he added, while not addressing the fact that Belgrade called for Serbs not to vote. In the run-up to the vote, there were multiple reports that Serbs were pressured not to participate in the election.
“It is not our negative attitude towards them, but it is about whether they will fulfil what they are obliged to fulfil or not. Do not provoke Serbia into having to do it. If someone thinks this will last indefinitely and that Serbia will suffer such an escalation against the Serbs, let victims fall, God forbid…” Dacic concluded.
“Serbia’s message has always been the same – it is better to negotiate for 100 years than to have conflicts and war for one day,” he added.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al, EURACTIV.rs | Bojana Zimonjić Jelisavac)
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