An explosion damaged a vital canal for two thermal power plants in Kosovo this Friday, November 29, threatening its energy supply, declared Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, condemning a “ attack » which he attributed to Serbia.
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The explosion of the canal, which supplies water to two coal-fired power plants for their cooling systems, representing Kosovo’s main source of electricity, occurred near the town of Zubin Potok in the north of the country.
If the damage is not repaired, part of Kosovo risks being without electricity as early as Saturday morning, the Prime Minister said. “ This is a criminal and terrorist attack aimed at destroying our critical infrastructure », Reacted Albin Kurti, the Kosovar Prime Minister, during a press conference called late this Friday, November 29, in comments relayed by AFP. “ The attack was carried out by professionals. We believe it comes from Serbian-led gangs “, he added.
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Albin Kurti did not give details on the extent of the damage suffered by the canal, which connects the north of Kosovowith a Serbian majority, to the capital Pristina, also partially supplied with drinking water by this canal. Images published by local media show a breach on one side of the canal from which water is flowing heavily.
Reaction and concerns
The United States, through its embassy in Pristina, strongly condemned “ attack on critical infrastructure in Kosovo ». “ We are monitoring the situation closely [… ] and we have offered our full support to the Government of Kosovo to ensure that those responsible for this criminal attack are identified and held to account », Continues the embassy on Facebook.
Friday’s attack follows a series of violent incidents in northernKosovowhere Serbs are in the majority, including grenades thrown against a municipal building and a police station earlier this week. L’AFP requested a reaction from the Serbian government, which did not respond immediately.
Tensions between Kosovo andSerbia have persisted since the war between Serbian forces and Kosovars in the late 1990s. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a decision that Serbia refuses to recognize, encouraging the country’s Serbs to reject their loyalty to Pristina.
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