(Photo : AFP via Getty Images)
NATO peacekeepers protecting three town halls in northern Kosovo were hurt in fights with Serb protesters.
NATO peacekeepers clashed with protesters in northern Kosovo on Monday, injuring 34.
As Kosovo Serbs boycotted the April elections, ethnically Albanian mayors won office in northern Kosovo, a majority Kosovo Serb territory. Tensions have intensified in the past week.
NATO Peacekeepers Clash with Serb Protesters
NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) stated recent events forced them to boost their presence in northern Kosovo on Monday morning, which turned violent. Protesters launched "Molotov cocktails, with nails, firecrackers and stones inside," injuring 14 KFOR peacekeepers, according to the Italian military ministry.
The Italian military ministry reported injured Hungarian and Moldovan peacekeepers. Nemanja Starović, Serbian State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, disagreed with NATO's account. He stated KFOR deployed flash grenades after the "peaceful" protestors "decided to disperse and continue the demonstration tomorrow morning."
According to CNN, Serbia and northern Kosovo Serbs still consider Kosovo part of Serbia. With Serbia-Kosovo tensions constantly rising, NATO maintains soldiers in Kosovo to keep the peace. KFOR stated that NATO-led multi-national contingents were sent to four communities to quell "violent rallies" as "newly elected mayors in recent days sought to assume office."
Per BBC, the EU and US have criticized the Kosovan government for destabilizing north Kosovo and cautioned against steps that might inflame ethnic tensions. After years of conflict between Serb and Albanian residents, Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia in February 2008.
Most ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and Serbia, supported by Russia, refuse to recognize it. Kosovo as a whole is over 90% ethnic Albanian, whereas the northern area is majority Serb. NATO says Monday's fighting injured Italian and Hungarian peacekeepers. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic stated around 50 Serbs were hospitalized, and others were hurt.
Kosovo police arrived with guns and armored vehicles, infuriating protesters. The replacement of Serbian flags with Kosovo flags at municipal buildings enraged them.
Albin Kurti, Kosovo's prime minister, said the security forces were guaranteeing democratically elected mayors could represent their voters. He has been accused of seeking to establish unelected authorities to cause havoc in the region.
Morning crowds gathered at the municipal building. They wanted to bar the new Albanian mayor from arriving. NATO-led forces used shields and batons to disperse protestors. The agency reported demonstrators throwing rocks and Molotov bombs at troops. Kosovo police reported "provocative captions with Serbian and Russian insignia" on other vehicles and a car fire.
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Leaders Condemn Kosovo Clashes
KFOR Commander General Angelo Michele Ristuccia condemned the attacks as "unacceptable" and emphasized that the NATO mission will "continue to carry out its mandate impartially."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated, "We will not tolerate any further assaults against KFOR. It is essential that the Kosovo authorities refrain from further unilateral actions and that all stakeholders take a step back to reduce tensions."
To defuse tensions, the US ambassador and EU envoy have summoned ethnic Albanian mayors to a meeting in Pristina. France stated that it "strongly condemns this violence and demands on all parties, especially the Kosovo government, to take immediate measures to reduce tensions."
In Zvecan, one of the affected communities, ethnic Albanian Kosovo police sprayed pepper gas to repel a throng of Serbs who broke through a security barricade and attempted to force their way into the municipality building, according to witnesses.
The Kosovo police stated in a statement that "organized" protesters "used violence and tear gas in an attempt to breach the security cordons and gain entrance to the municipal facility."
Additionally, the Serbs spray-painted NATO vehicles with the letter "Z," a reference to a Russian symbol used during the conflict in Ukraine.
In Leposavic, close to the Serbian border, US peacekeeping soldiers in riot gear surrounded the town hall with barbed wire to defend it from hundreds of enraged Serbs. Later in the day, protestors hurled eggs at the parked vehicle of the new mayor of Leposavic, as per Guardian.
Related Article: Serbia Orders Troops on High Alert as Ethnic Clashes in Kosovo; US Rebukes Escalating Tensions
