2008 unrest in Kosovo

Last updated
2008 unrest in Kosovo
North Kosovo.png
Map of Kosovo with North Kosovo in orange. Northern Kosovo has been the centre of unrest following Kosovo's declaration of independence.
DateFebruary 17 – June 28 2008
Location
Kosovo
Resulted inthe Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija was formed to coordinate resistance to the Kosovar Government
Parties
Casualties and losses
1 dead, 150 injured

The 2008 unrest in Kosovo followed Kosovo's declaration of independence on February 17, 2008. Some Kosovo Serbs opposed to secession boycotted the move by refusing to follow orders from the central government in Pristina and attempted to seize infrastructure and border posts in Serb-populated regions. There were also sporadic instances of violence against international institutions and governmental institutions, predominantly in North Kosovo.

Contents

Tensions in the North intensified when Serbs in Mitrovica seized a UN courthouse on March 14, 2008. UN police and NATO forces responded on March 17, and attacks by Serb protesters left one UN police officer dead and as many as 150 people wounded. [1] On June 28 2008, Kosovo Serbs formed the Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija to coordinate resistance to the Kosovar Government.

Boycott of Kosovo government

Kosovo Serbs said they intended to form parallel institutions and assert control over infrastructure and institutions in their area in response to Kosovo's declaration of independence; after the local elections in May, Kosovo Serb leaders announced the intention to establish a Kosovo Serb Assembly. [2] The Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo said they would not be in contact with Kosovo's Albanian government, EULEX, or any country which recognizes Kosovo's independence, threatening to sanction any clergy who do so. [3]

A Serb minister said Serbia planned to have its "own police" in Serb areas as part of an action plan to maintain Serbia's presence in Kosovo. [2] In North Kosovo some Serb members of Kosovo security forces stopped taking orders from the government in Pristina and claimed command from the UNMIK. In the eastern Gjilan region around 100 Serb officers were suspended from the Kosovo Police Service. Stanko Jakovljević, Serb mayor of Štrpce, a Serb enclave in the south, said Serb police "will do today what Serbs ... did in northern Kosovo. They will only recognise orders from international police." [4] In central Kosovo 126 Serb police officers withdrew from the Kosovo Police Service refusing to take commands from the central government. [5] Members of the Kosovo Police Service said Serb officers were being intimidated to leave the police force. [6]

On March 3, 2008, Serb railway workers declared they no longer worked for Kosovo after blocking the passage of freight trains from central to northern Kosovo. The head of Serbia's state railroad company Serbian Railways said Serbia was "taking over its responsibilities after nine years" and that the northern part of the railway would be integrated into Serbia's railway system. [7] On March 5, 2008 UNMIK forces said they reclaimed the railway after blocking the entry of Serbian trains into Northern Kosovo warning that any movement of trains south would "not be tolerated". [8] The next day UNMIK officials met with officials from Serbian Railways in Belgrade to discuss the company's demands to run railways in northern Kosovo. The Managing Director of Serbian Railways Milanko Šarančić said there was no chance of UNMIK running traffic in the north of Kosovo as employees of Serbian Railways terminated their contracts with UNMIK railways. He also said that the company had begun checking lines in the north, as “UNMIK has not maintained the lines properly for nine years.“ [9]

Serb protestors blocked Albanians from working at the courts in North Kosovska Mitrovica, [2] and Serb judges and court employees demanded that they be allowed to work at the courts instead. [10]

Attacks on Kosovo border posts

On Tuesday February 19, 2008 2,000 Serb protestors, some driving bulldozers, set two border posts on fire along the Kosovo–Serbia border. [11] The destruction of the border posts was sparked by reports that Kosovo Albanian customs officials were planning to man the borders. [12] UN peacekeepers stationed at the checkpoints were forced to abandon the posts until they were reopened the following day. [13] [14] Attacks at the Mutivoda crossing point on Monday February 25, 2008 by 100 Serbs injured 19 members of the Kosovo Police Service and forced the post to be closed until the next day. [15]

Attacks on the international presence and Kosovo institutions

The day after Kosovo's declaration of independence two bombs in the flashpoint town of Mitrovica damaged several UN vehicles, though there were no injuries. [12] After several attacks in northern Kosovska Mitrovica an advance team of the EU administrative force withdrew over security concerns. [2] On March 3, 2008, a UN office in northern Mitrovica was hit by two sniper bullets, with no injuries. [16]

On March 28, 2008, a police checkpoint in northern Kosovo manned by Serb officers came under fire apparently from a semi-automatic weapon fired from the ethnic Albanian village of Koshutevë, north of Mitrovica, and the officers returned fire. No injuries were reported. [17]

On June 26, 2008, in the village of Borivojce near the eastern town of Kamenica members of the local Serb and Roma community barricaded a road to protest the construction of a mosque authorized by the local government. According to a police statement Serb inhabitants put rocks on the road. Around 100 Albanians on the other side of the barricade started to remove the rocks and then threw stones at them. The police statement say the police then intervened to separate the groups, and that a Kosovo Serb and a police officer were injured. [18]

Seizure of UN courthouse in Mitrovica

On March 14, 2008, after staging rallies for several weeks that prevented ethnic Albanian court employees from entering a UN courthouse in the northern part of Mitrovica, hundreds of Kosovo Serbs broke into the building in the Serb-dominated part of the city, forcing UN police to retreat. [19] UN officials' negotiations with the Serbs to end the occupation were unsuccessful, and on March 17 UN police with the assistance of NATO-led KFOR forces entered the courthouse in a pre-dawn raid. When they arrived they were pelted with stones by around 100 Serbs. When they came out after arresting 53 of the protesters inside the courthouse they were attacked with gunfire, grenades and rocks by several hundred protesters who had massed outside. [20] About half of the protesters who had been arrested were freed by fellow protesters during the clashes with the rest being released by the UN after questioning. [21] The clashes lasted until around noon. One Ukrainian police officer was killed, 70 Serbs and 61 UN and NATO peacekeepers were wounded, and one UN vehicle and one NATO truck were set ablaze. Among the wounded international troops were 27 Polish and 14 Ukrainian police officers and 20 French soldiers. UN police withdrew from northern Mitrovica, leaving the area under the control of the NATO forces. [1] [22]

Gen. John Craddock, NATO's top commander, said that after speaking with NATO commanders in Kosovo that NATO did not feel it necessary to send reinforcements to Kosovo. [21] On 19 March 2008, UN police began to patrol parts of north Mitrovica again together with local Kosovo police, while the NATO peacekeepers still remained in overall control of security at the courthouse and generally in the north of Kosovo. A gradual transition to civilian control was planned over the next days. [23]

Reactions

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo</span> Officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall objective, namely, to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advance regional stability in the Western Balkans."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitrovica, Kosovo</span> City in Kosovo

Mitrovica, also referred to as South Mitrovica, is a city in northern Kosovo and administrative center of the District of Mitrovica. In 2013, the city was split into two municipalities, South Mitrovica and North Mitrovica. Settled 10 km (6.2 mi) from Ujmani/Gazivoda Lake, on the confluence of the rivers Ibër, Sitnicë, Lushta, and Trepça, the city is surrounded by the mountains of Kopaonik, Rogozna, Mokna, and Çyçavica. According to the 2011 Census, the two municipalities had 97,686 inhabitants of which 85,360 reside in south and 12,326 in north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo Force</span> NATO-led international peacekeeping force

The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo. Its operations are gradually reducing until Kosovo's Security Force, established in 2009, becomes self-sufficient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo Police</span> Law enforcement agency

The Kosovo Police is the national policing law enforcement agency of Kosovo. It was established in 1999 and took its current form with the 2008 police law. It consists of five departments and eight regional directorates and is represented at the political level by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration of the Republic of Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 unrest in Kosovo</span> Ethnic violence in Kosovo

On 17–18 March 2004, violence erupted in Kosovo, leaving hundreds wounded and at least 14 people dead. The unrest was precipitated by unsubstantiated reports in the Kosovo Albanian media which claimed that three Kosovo Albanian boys had drowned after being chased into the Ibar River by a group of Kosovo Serbs. UN peacekeepers and NATO troops scrambled to contain a gun battle between Serbs and Albanians in the partitioned town of Mitrovica, Kosovo before the violence spread to other parts of Kosovo. Serbs call the event the March Pogrom, while the Albanians call it the March Unrest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kosovo</span> Geographical region in Kosovo

NorthKosovo ; also known as the Ibar Kolašin ; earlier Old Kolašin,, is a region in the northern part of Kosovo, generally understood as a group of four municipalities with ethnic Kosovo Serbs majority: North Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zvečan and Zubin Potok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Kosovo</span>

The flag of the Republic of Kosovo was adopted by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo immediately following the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo on 17 February 2008. The flag design emerged from an international competition, organized by an informal group from the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government known as the Kosovo Unity Team, which attracted almost one thousand entries. The winning design was proposed by Muhamer Ibrahimi. It shows six white stars in an arc above a golden map of Kosovo, all on a blue field. The stars symbolize Kosovo's six major ethnic groups: Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Romani, and Gorani.

The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, which proclaimed the Republic of Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign state, was adopted at a meeting held on 17 February 2008 by 109 out of the 120 members of the Assembly of Kosovo, including the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and by the President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu. It was the second declaration of independence by Kosovo's Albanian-majority political institutions; the first was proclaimed on 7 September 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija</span> Territory disputed by Serbia and Kosovo

The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, commonly known as Kosovo and abbreviated to Kosmet or KiM, is an autonomous province that occupies the southernmost corner of Serbia, as defined by the the country's constitution. The territory is the subject of an ongoing political and territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the partially recognised Republic of Kosovo, with the APKM being viewed as the de jure interpretation of the territory under Serbian law; however, the Serbian government currently does not control the territories because they are de facto administered by the Republic of Kosovo. Its claimed administrative capital and largest city is Pristina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence</span>

Widespread protests and riots in Serbia and North Kosovo followed the proclamation of independence by the Republic of Kosovo on February 17, 2008. Protests were also held by Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo–Serbia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Kosovo unilaterally self proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008, a move which Serbia strongly rejects. Serbia has not recognized Kosovo as an independent state and continues to claim it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. However, differences and disputes remain, while North Kosovo partially remains under Serbian influence. Initially there were no relations between the two; but in the following years there has been increased dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kosovo crisis (2011–2013)</span> 2011–2013 crisis in Northern Kosovo

Clashes between the Republic of Kosovo and ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo began on 25 July 2011 when the Kosovo Police crossed into the Serb-controlled municipalities of North Kosovo, to control several administrative border crossings. This was done without the Kosovo Police consulting either Serbia or Kosovo Force (KFOR)/EULEX. Though tensions between the two sides eased somewhat after the intervention of NATO's KFOR forces, they remained high amid concern from the European Union, which also blamed Kosovo for the unilateral provocation. On 19 April 2013, an agreement was signed in Brussels between representatives of Kosovo and Serbia. The 15-point document granted devolved powers to North Kosovo regarding economic development, education, healthcare and urban planning, and several mechanisms that allowed a certain autonomy in justice, policing and electoral matters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 unrest in Kosovo</span>

The 2000 unrest in Kosovo was the result of the United Nations Interim Administration adopting Resolution 1244 on 10 June 1999. The unrest was fought between the Kosovo Force (KFOR), Kosovar Albanians, and Kosovar Serbs. It lasted somewhere from February 16, 2000 – June 6, 2000. An unknown number of Kosovar Albanians and Kosovar Serbs died along with an unknown number injured, while 1 Russian KFOR soldier died from shot wounds and UNMIK vehicles were burned during the unrest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaviša Ristić</span> Serbian politician

Slaviša Ristić is a Serbian politician and a prominent figure in the Kosovo Serb community. He was for many years the president of Zubin Potok, a predominantly Serb municipality in northern Kosovo, and has served two terms in the National Assembly of Serbia.

Dragiša Milović is a Kosovo Serb politician. He was the mayor of Zvečan, a predominantly Serb community in the disputed territory of Kosovo, from 2002 to 2013, serving as a member of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS). In 2021, he was re-elected to the same position as a candidate of the Serb List (SL).

Milan Ivanović is a Kosovo Serb medical doctor, administrator, and politician. He was a prominent figure in northern Kosovo politics for the first decade after the 1998–99 Kosovo War. Ivanović was for many years the leader of the Serbian National Council of Northern Kosovo and Metohija and has been a vocal opponent of engagement with the post-1999 governing authorities in Priština. He is no relation to the late Oliver Ivanović.

Beginning on 31 July 2022, tensions between Kosovo and Serbia heightened due to the expiration of the eleven-year validity period of documents for cars on 1 August 2022, between the government of Kosovo and the Serbs in North Kosovo. Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, signed an agreement with Serbia in 2011 that determined the use of license plates in North Kosovo. This agreement was supposed to change license plates from the ones that were issued by Serbia to neutral ones. The agreement for the change was extended in 2016 and expired in 2021, which led to a crisis in 2021 that ended with an agreement to terminate the ban of Kosovo-issued license plates in Serbia.

Events in the year 2022 in Kosovo.

Local elections were held in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo on 23 April 2023. They were initially scheduled to be held in December 2022, but were subsequently postponed. The elections were held in the four Serb-majority municipalities of Leposavić, North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Zvečan, located in North Kosovo. The elections were boycotted by the biggest Serb political party in Kosovo, the Serb List, following its departure from Kosovan institutions and the resignation of their mayors in North Kosovo in November. Among the declared candidates, there were only two Serbs. Aleksandar Arsenijević, candidate for mayor of the North Mitrovica Municipality, withdrew his candidacy on 2 December. Only the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Vetëvendosje (LVV) had mayoral candidates in all four municipalities. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani had initially set 25 December as the polling date for the municipal assemblies of Zvečan and Leposavić in the north of Kosovo. On 20 April, candidate for mayor of the Leposavić Municipality Aleksandar Jablanović, leader of the Party of Kosovo Serbs (PKS), withdrew his candidature for running in the elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leposavić ambush</span>

An Indian officer, Satish Menon, was killed in an ambush in North Kosovo. This marked the first deadly assault on Kosovo's UN police force since the Kosovo War, as stated by UN officials.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kosovo clashes force UN pullout". BBC News . 2008-03-17. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Serbs bid for Bosnia-style division in Kosovo". Reuters. 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  3. ↑ "Church in Kosovo cuts ties with Priština, EULEX". B92. 2008-03-03. Archived from the original on 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  4. ↑ "Serb police in Kosovo reject Albanian command". Reuters. 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  5. ↑ "Serb police officers in Kosovo demand return to UNMIK command". Southeast European Times. 2008-03-02. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  6. ↑ "Kosovo Serb Police 'Intimidated'". Balkan Insight. 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  7. ↑ "Serb railway workers stop train in northern Kosovo". Xinhua. 2008-03-03. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  8. ↑ "UN 'reclaims' Kosovo rail line". BBC News . 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  9. ↑ "No agreement between Serbian Railways, UNMIK". B92. 2008-03-06. Archived from the original on 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  10. ↑ "Serbia's government to discuss whether to stop servicing Kosovo debt". Prince George Citizen. 2008-03-02. Archived from the original on 2007-09-03. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  11. ↑ Finn, Peter (2008-02-20). "Serbs in Kosovo Set 2 Border Posts Afire". The Washington Post . Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  12. 1 2 "Serb mob destroys Kosovo border posts". Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  13. ↑ "U.N. police quit destroyed Kosovo border post". Reuters. 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  14. ↑ "NATO reopening ransacked Kosovan border posts". Reuters. 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  15. ↑ "Kosovo border post reopened after violence". Xinhua. 2008-02-26. Archived from the original on March 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  16. ↑ "Shots Fired At North Kosovo UN Office". Balkan Insight. 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  17. ↑ "Shots fired at Kosovo Serb police in tense north". Reuters. 2008-03-28. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  18. ↑ "Clashes as Kosovo Serbs Protest Mosque". Balkan Insight. 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  19. ↑ "Kosovo Serbs seize UN courthouse". BBC News . 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  20. 1 2 "UN police forced out of Kosovo town after clashes". Agence France Presse. 2008-03-17. Archived from the original on 2008-03-22. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  21. 1 2 3 Radovanovic, Radul (2008-03-17). "Peacekeepers battle Serbs in Kosovo". Yahoo News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2008-03-22. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  22. ↑ "UN officer dies after Kosovo riot". BBC News. 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  23. ↑ "UN police back in north Mitrovica". BBC News. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  24. ↑ "Serbia trying to split Kosovo communities-EU envoy". Reuters. 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  25. ↑ "US condemns Serb "provocations" in north Kosovo". Reuters. 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  26. 1 2 "Rice urges Serbian leaders to rein in Kosovo Serbs". Agence France Presse. 2008-03-17. Archived from the original on 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  27. ↑ John, Mark (2008-03-10). "EU urges U.N. to step up Kosovo-Serbia security". Reuters . Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  28. ↑ "Serbia says working with Russia on Kosovo response". Reuters. 2008-03-17. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  29. ↑ "Bulgaria voices concerns with developments in northern Kosovo". Xinhua. 2008-03-17. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  30. ↑ "World powers call for calm after deadly Kosovo clashes". Agence France Presse. 2008-03-18. Archived from the original on 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  31. ↑ "Bosnia Serb Head Slams Kosovo 'Force'". Balkan Insight. 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.