Serbs living in northern Kosovo blocked two border crossings on Sunday in protest, carrying heavy machinery and trucks full of gravel. The Kosovo police closed the crossings. Shots were also fired at the police, with no injuries. Angry protesters also attacked Albanian passers-by, police said, and an air-raid siren sounded for three hours in the town of North Mitrovica.
The tensions revolve primarily around the rule that Serbs in Kosovo had to put Kosovar number plates on their cars from Monday. Some 50,000 Serbs living in northern Kosovo, where the two closed border crossings are located, still use Serbian number plates 14 years after Kosovo’s independence.
Last year, Prime Minister Kurti wanted to put an end to this, but he declined after protests at the same two border crossings. Kosovo then deployed special police forces and Serbia flew warplanes along the border. Kosovo has been recognized as an independent state by more than 100 countries, but not by neighboring Serbia.
Serbs in the northern region were originally given until Monday to exchange their number plates. Also, from Monday, all Serbian citizens visiting Kosovo had to request an extra document at the border to be able to enter the country. Serbia asks the same from Kosovars.
Postpone action
It was restless in northern Kosovo all day on Sunday. According to the Kosovar government, the blockades and the shooting aim to ‘destabilize Kosovo and threaten the peace and security of our citizens and our country. Several aggressive acts took place this afternoon and evening, encouraged and planned by the authorities in Belgrade,” Prime Minister Kurti said in a statement.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a speech earlier in the evening that the situation in Kosovo “has never been this difficult” for Serbia and the Serbs living in Kosovo. ‘The atmosphere has been brought to a boil,’ says Vucic. He added that “Serbia would win” if the Serbs were attacked.
Amid mounting tensions, Kosovo’s Prime Minister, President Vjosa Osmani and a number of Deputy Prime Ministers held extensive consultations with US and European representatives in the country on Sunday. The outcome was that Kurti announced on Sunday night that he wanted to postpone the measures regarding license plates and travel documents for a month.
As a condition, the Kosovar government leader does state that all barricades at the border crossings have been removed on Monday. “The government of Kosovo pledges to postpone the implementation of two decisions (….) until September 1, 2022, if all barricades are removed by Monday, August 1, and freedom of movement is fully restored on all roads in northern Kosovo.” .’
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, welcomed the postponement but added that he hoped the roadblocks “will be lifted soon”.
UN peacekeepers
In Moscow, which, like Serbia, does not recognize Kosovo, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry knows about heightened tensions about “unfounded discriminatory rules” imposed by the Kosovar authorities.
The NATO-led UN peacekeeping force Kosovo Force (KFOR) calls the situation in northern Kosovo tense and says it is “ready to intervene if stability is threatened”, in line with “our UN mandate”. Currently 28 states contribute to this UN peacekeeping force, established in 1999, with a combined strength of approximately 4,000 military and civilian personnel.
In cooperation with our international allies, we pledge to postpone implementation of decisions on car plates & entry-exit documents at border crossing points w/ Serbia for 30 days, on the condition that all barricades are removed & complete freedom of movement is restored. pic.twitter.com/oJNaQi0qPO
— Albin Kurti (@albinkurti) July 31, 2022