The World Briefly
May 31, 2023No Peace
Kosovo
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Western powers urged ethnic Serbs and Albanians to stop fighting in northern Kosovo after dozens of NATO peacekeepers were injured in skirmishes with protesters this week, prompting concerns of a wider conflict in the Balkan country, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.
NATO officials said 30 of its peacekeepers were hurt in scuffles between troops and ethnic Serb protesters in the town of Zvecan. At least 50 protesters were also injured in the violence.
The unrest began over the weekend as Serb demonstrators tried to block newly elected Albanian mayors from taking office following April’s contentious local elections.
The majority Serb population in northern Kosovo had largely boycotted the vote after their demands for establishing an association of Serb-majority municipal governments were not met by the central government. As a result, ethnic Albanians won the local vote, even though the turnout was less than four percent.
Kosovo police initially attempted to disperse the demonstrations over the weekend, but the move received criticism from neighboring Serbia and abroad.
Both Serbia and Kosovo have accused each other of destabilizing the situation. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also ordered troops to move closer to the border with Kosovo.
Amid fears of a potentially bloody conflict, Western leaders have chided both sides and urged them to de-escalate tensions.
Meanwhile, analysts warned that the recent violence threatens to derail a European Union-brokered deal intended to normalize relations between the Balkan neighbors.
Relations between Serbia and Kosovo have been tense since the Balkan war in the late 1990s, which was sparked by ethnic Albanians rebelling against Serbian rule. The conflict resulted in around 13,000 deaths and ended with NATO’s military intervention in 1999.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but many countries, including Serbia, have not recognized it.
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