North Kosovo clashes | |||||||
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Part of North Kosovo crisis (2022–2024) | |||||||
KFOR peacekeepers clashing with Serbian protesters | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Serb protesters | NATO Kosovo | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Unorganized | Angelo Michele Ristuccia | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Unorganized | Kosovo Force Kosovo Police | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Per Serbia: 55+ protesters injured 6 protesters arrested | 40–93 wounded [4] [5] 5 police officers wounded Multiple police cars destroyed |
On 26 May 2023, Kosovo Police forcefully took control of the municipal buildings of four Serb majority regions in Northern Kosovo after a local election was held. [6] Three days later on 29 May 2023, hundreds of Serbian protesters clashed with NATO peacekeeping troops after rally at city hall in the town of Zvečan in Northern Kosovo. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
On 23 April 2023, Kosovo held 2023 Kosovan local elections in four of its northern municipalities. [13] The local election were initially planned to be in December 2022, but they were subsequently postponed. [14] The four municipalities of Leposavić, North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Zvečan all have a Serb majority population. Among the election's declared candidates, only two of them were Serbs and the rest were Albanian. Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic called on ethnic Serbs in the regions to boycott the elections, saying that the Serbs of Northern Kosovo should no longer tolerate a "foreign occupation." [15] All of the elected officials of the municipalities were Albanians. [16]
On 26 May 2023, Kosovo Police took control of the municipal buildings in Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić by force after ethnic Serbs had refused to let the newly elected officials assume office. Protestors in Zvečan attempted to stop Kosovar police from escorting the mayor to the city hall leaving 10 protesters and 5 police officers injured. Multiple police cars were also destroyed. [17] The Kosovar Police's use of force against the protesters was condemned by the United States and the EU. [18] On 29 May 2023, hundreds of Serbian protesters rallied at the city hall in the town of Zvečan in Northern Kosovo. The protestors demanded the withdrawal of Kosovo police forces and for the resignation of ethnic Albanian officials who were elected to mayor's offices in April. The crowd of protesters then spread a huge Serbian flag outside the city hall. [19] Nato peacekeeping soldiers responded by firing tear gas and stun grenades in order to protect Kosovar police officers and disperse protesters. The protesters then responded by throwing rocks, molotov cocktails and other objects at peacekeepers and police officers. [20] Protesters then painted the Russian Z symbol on Kosovo police and NATO peacekeepers' vehicles. [21] KFOR soldiers then moved in with riot shields and batons in another attempt to disperse the crowd. Protesters responded by hurling rocks, bottles and molotov cocktails at the soldiers. [22]
Per the Hungarian ministry of defense, 20 Hungarian soldiers were wounded with 7 in serious condition. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani reported that 11 Italian soldiers were wounded with 3 in serious condition. [23] The Italian ministry of defence reported that 14 Italian soldiers were wounded and that Moldovan soldiers were also wounded. [24] On 5 June 2023, Nato reported that around 40 KFOR peacekeeping troops had been injured. [25] On the one year anniversary of the clashes, Balkan Insight and KoSSev reported that 93 Nato soldiers had been wounded during the clashes. [4] [5] Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic claimed that over 50 Serbian protesters were injured in the clashes with 3 of them in serious condition. [26] One of the protesters, a Kosovo Serb named Nenad Orllović, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for attacking KFOR soldiers. [27] [28] [29] 5 other protesters were also arrested. [30]
After beating American tennis player Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the 2023 French Open on 30 May 2023, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic wrote: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence" on a camera lens in Serbian. Referencing the clashes on the day piror. [31] Djokovic's father grew up in Zvečan where the clashes on May 26 and May 29 took place. [32] The Tennis Federation of Kosovo accused Novak Djokovic of "aggravating an already tense situation". Djokovic responded to this saying: "As a son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to give my support to our people and to entire Serbia. My stance is clear: I am against wars, violence and any kind of conflict, as I've always stated publicly. I empathize with all people, but the situation with Kosovo is a precedent in international law". Jeton Hadergjonaj, the president of the Tennis Federation of Kosovo, responded to Djokovic's statement saying: "The comments made by Novak Djokovic at the end of his Roland Garros match against Aleksandar Kovacevic, his statements at the post-match press conference and his Instagram post are regrettable." He also accused Novak Djokovic of using his popularity to stir tensions. [33] Djokovic then said in an interview on 31 May 2023 that he stands by his comment stating: "I would say it again, but I don't need to because you have my quotes if you want to reflect on that. Of course I'm aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is. It's something that I stand for. So that's all." [34]
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.
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.
Zvečan or Zveçan is a town and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in Kosovo. As of 2015, it has a population of 16,650 inhabitants. It covers an area of 122 km2 (47 sq mi), and consists of a town and 35 villages.
The Podujevo bus bombing was an attack on a bus carrying Serb civilians near the town of Podujevo in Kosovo on 16 February 2001. The bombing killed twelve Serb civilians who were travelling to Gračanica and injured dozens more. Albanian extremists are suspected of being responsible for the attack. Gračanica is a predominantly Serb-populated town in central Kosovo, near the regional capital Pristina, in a predominantly Albanian-populated area. Following the Kosovo War in 1999 it became an enclave within Albanian-controlled territory. Relations between the two communities were tense and occasionally violent.
On 17–18 March 2004, violence erupted in the partitioned town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, leaving hundreds wounded and at least 14 people dead. The unrest was precipitated by reports in the Kosovo Albanian media which falsely 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. Serbs call the event the March Pogrom, while the Albanians call it the March Unrest.
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.
The Insurgency in the Preševo Valley was an approximately two year-long armed conflict between 1999 and 2001, between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian separatists of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB). There were instances during the conflict in which the Yugoslav government requested KFOR support in suppressing UÇPMB attacks since they could only use lightly armed military forces as part of the Kumanovo Treaty that ended the Kosovo War, which created a buffer zone between FR Yugoslavia and Kosovo.
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.
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.
Kosovo–Latvia relations are foreign relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Latvia. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008 and Latvia recognised it on 20 February 2008. Latvian and Kosovan governments established diplomatic relations on 11 June 2008. However, Latvia's involvement in Kosovo dates back to 2000 when it first sent peacekeeping troops.
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.
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.
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.
Triggered by the Government of Kosovo's decision to reciprocally ban Serbian license plates, a series of protests by Serbs in North Kosovo—consisting mostly of blocking traffic near border crossings— began on 20 September 2021. The ban meant that individuals who owned vehicles with Serbian license plates in Kosovo would have had to switch for Kosovar license plates at a government vehicle registration center. The ban was intended to mirror a prohibition against Kosovar license plates that had been imposed by Serbia since 2008. The Government of Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's independence and considers the Kosovo–Serbia border to be temporary.
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.
Events in the year 2023 in Kosovo.
Events in the year 2023 in Serbia.
The Banjska attack was an armed assault carried out by Serb militants against the Kosovo Police which took place in the village of Banjska located in North Kosovo on 24 September 2023.