Kosovo police have closed two border crossings with Serbia in the north of the country due to unrest. Protesters blocked the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings with trucks because of the government decision that Serbs in Kosovo must change their license plates. The implementation of that decision has since been postponed.
An air raid siren sounded for three hours in the northern city of North Mitrovica. According to the police, shots were fired at the Kosovar police at the border. No one was hurt. The border crossings were blocked with trucks loaded with gravel and heavy machinery.
The unrest is related to new rules for Serbs living in Kosovo. They would have 60 days from Monday to put Kosovar number plates on their cars. Also, from that moment on, all Serbian citizens visiting Kosovo would have to request an extra document at the border to be able to enter the country. Similar rules apply to Kosovars in Serbia.
In 2008 Kosovo became independent from Serbia. About 50,000 Serbs live in the north of Kosovo who still use Serbian license plates and documents. More than a hundred countries recognize Kosovo as an independent state, but Serbia and Russia do not.
Due to the unrest, the Kosovo government has now decided to postpone the implementation of the rules by a month. This happened at the initiative of the European Union and the United States, which acted as mediators on Sunday evening. For example, the government of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti hopes to ease tensions between the police and local communities.
Welcome Kosovo decision to move measures to September 1. Expect all roadblocks to be removed immediately. Open issues should be addressed through EU-facilitated Dialogue&focus on comprehensive normalization of relations btwn Kosovo&Serbia, essential for their EU integration paths
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Issue number plates is sensitive
It is not the first time that there is unrest about the Serbian number plates. Prime Minister Kurti also wanted to end this last year, but then canceled that decision due to protests. Then there were demonstrations at the same border crossings. At the time, Kosovo deployed special police forces and Serbia flew warplanes along the border.
The UN peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR), led by NATO, calls the situation in the north of the country tense. The peacekeeping force also says it is “ready to intervene if stability is threatened”, in line with “our UN mandate”.
The peacekeeping force was established in 1999. Currently, 28 states are participating, and there are still 4,000 military and civilian personnel on duty to keep the peace.
A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry blamed the tensions on Kosovo authorities for imposing “unfounded discriminatory rules” on Serbs. On Telegram, the spokesperson wrote: “We call on Pristina (the capital of Kosovo, ed.) and the United States and the European Union to stop the provocations and to respect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo”.