A spiral of violence followed local elections in northern Kosovo. The Serbian part of the population felt cheated and went on the barricades. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti now suspects that the Serbian government has “organized” the riots.
“The escalation on May 29 was planned, well organized and instigated,” Kurti said in parliament on Friday. Serbia mobilized “criminal groups” that sparked the clashes, Kurti said. Many Kosovo Serbs were forced to serve as “human shields” in the attacks.
There were clashes in northern Kosovo in which more than 80 people were injured, including soldiers from the international security force KFOR. The attackers use stones, bottles and incendiary bombs.
Kosovo Serbs boycott the elections
The violence was prompted by the Kosovo government’s appointment of ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority cities. Serb residents of the region protested violently; however, the Serbs had previously largely boycotted local elections. That led to a very low turnout.
Many Serbs are demanding the withdrawal of Kosovo’s police and the resignation of ethnic Albanian mayors. Since the clashes at the beginning of the week, hundreds of ethnic Serbs have gathered in front of the town hall in the northern Kosovo town of Zvecan, which is fenced off with barbed wire and surrounded by soldiers from the international security force KFOR.
At the European Political Community (EPG) summit in Moldova on Thursday, Germany and France called for new elections in four predominantly Serb municipalities to calm the situation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called on the heads of state of Kosovo and Serbia to immediately de-escalate the situation.
Vucic wants to “de-escalate”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed confidence in finding a solution with Kosovo. “We want to find a compromise,” he said in an interview with the Phoenix television channel. He was optimistic “to de-escalate the situation”.
Kosovo, a country of 1.8 million people, the majority of whom are ethnic Albanians, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade still considers it a Serbian province to this day. About 120,000 Serbs live in Kosovo, most of them in the north of the country.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
