Clashes in northern Kosovo leave dozens injured

Clashes in northern Kosovo leave dozens injured

Violent clashes broke out on Monday May 29 in northern Kosovo between Serb demonstrators, Kosovo police and troops from the force led by NATO (KFOR).

Tear gas, stun grenades, throwing stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails. Violent clashes injured some fifty members of the Serbian community, including one shot, and at least 25 wounded among the Hungarian and Italian contingents of KFOR, NATO’s armed force in Kosovo, reports our correspondent at Belgrade, Philippe Bertinchamps.

These incidents erupted, while the tension has been increasing since Friday, May 26 between the Serbian population, the majority in northern Kosovo, and the Kosovo police. KFOR has reinforced its presence there, while the Serbian army remains “ on high alert near the administrative border, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Monday from Belgrade, who believes that “ The worse is yet to come “.

Contested mayors

Thousands of demonstrators had gathered this morning in four localities in the north of the country: North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok, to oppose the entry into office of the new Albanian mayors, elected in April last during a poll boycotted by Serbian voters who do not recognize the authority of Pristina and are loyal to Belgrade. Only some 1,500 voters, out of approximately 45,000 registered voters, took part.

These city councilors were enthroned last week by the government of Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of this territory largely populated by Albanians, ignoring calls for appeasement launched by the European Union and the United States. . The Serb protesters who had gathered in particular in front of the municipality of Zvecan are demanding the withdrawal of the Albanian mayors, but also that of the Kosovo police forces, which they came up against.

KFOR soldiers, armed with shields and sticks, initially tried to separate the two opposing parties before starting to disperse the crowd. Protesters responded by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the soldiers before being pushed back several hundred meters from the municipality of Zvecan.

According to the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, more than 20 Hungarian soldiers are among the wounded from KFOR, seven of whom were seriously injured. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani for his part reported in a tweet that 11 Italian soldiers were injured. NATO called these attacks “completely unacceptable” and demanded an immediate end to the violence. But the demonstrators have announced a new rally for tomorrow.

Support from Russia

During a visit to Kenya this Monday, May 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that ” Serbs were fighting for their rights in northern Kosovo “. ” A large explosion threatens (to occur) in the heart of Europe, where NATO in 1999 carried out an aggression against Yugoslavia “, Sergei Lavrov continued, referring to the intervention of the Atlantic Alliance against Belgrade which de facto ended the war between the Serbian forces and the Albanian independence fighters.

Tensions are common in northern Kosovo. Some 120,000 Serbs live in this country of 1.8 million inhabitants, overwhelmingly Albanian. The United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany had urged the Kosovo authorities on Friday “ to immediately reconsider their decision to deploy their special forces. These Western powers also call themselves ” concerned about Serbia’s decision to raise the level of preparedness of his army.

>> To read also: Trial of ex-Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi begins in The Hague

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