NATO’s Kosovo mission, KFOR, intervened today to curb violent protests by Serbs in the northern part of the province, who rejected the authority of four mayors elected in municipalities where Serbs form the majority. The clashes left at least 50 demonstrators and 25 soldiers wounded.
KFOR reported that 25 soldiers from Hungarian and Italian contingents sustained fractures, bruises, and burns caused by incendiary devices. Tear gas and sound devices were deployed to disperse protesters who blocked the entrance to the Town Hall in the town of Zvecan, where the fiercest confrontations occurred.
More than 50 people affected by tear gas received treatment at local hospitals, with three hospitalized. One individual suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound, according to a statement relayed by N1 from Zlatan Elek, director of the Mitrovica Clinical Center. [Citation: N1]
Serb-majority communities in these municipalities are a minority in Kosovo and do not recognize the authority of the mayors, who belong to Kosovo’s Albanian majority. The mayors were elected in elections held last April after a Serb boycott that saw turnout fall to about 3 percent. [Citation: Local Election Records]
United States, the European Union, and several allied governments condemned the use of force by international troops. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated she condemned the attack in the strongest terms. [Citation: EU/USA Statements]
Among those injured in the Kosovo unrest are 11 Italian soldiers. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on social media that three of them were in serious condition, though not life-threatening. [Citation: Italian MFA]
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of pressuring mayors into entering municipal buildings that had been closed by protesters three days earlier, with support from certain police units. [Citation: Belgrade Press Briefings]
The United States and many European partners have criticized Kosovo’s handling of the situation. Washington even suggested that mayors might carry out their duties from alternate locations to help de-escalate tensions. [Citation: US/EU Statements]
Vucic urged Kosovo Serbs to pursue peaceful demonstrations and to avoid any conflict with NATO. Kosovo, a former Serbian province, declared independence in 2008, a move Serbia still does not recognize. [Citation: Kosovo Status]
Both sides are engaged in talks aimed at normalizing relations under a European Union framework, a process backed by the United States and periodically disrupted by outbreaks of tension. [Citation: EU-US Negotiations]