Riots in Kosovo: Several KFOR soldiers injured in Serbian protests

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U.S. soldiers from the KFOR peacekeeping force guard a municipal building in the town of Leposavic in Serb-populated northern Kosovo

Photo: Marjan Vucetic / dpa

Numerous soldiers of the NATO-led Kosovo protection force KFOR have been injured in clashes in the Serb-populated north of Kosovo. Several uniformed men from Italy and Hungary suffered broken bones and burns in attacks by militant Serbs in the village of Zvecan, the KFOR command in Pristina said.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke on Twitter of eleven injured Italians of the KFOR contingent. Three of them suffered serious injuries, but were not in mortal danger. 20 Hungarian KFOR soldiers were also among the injured, wrote the Budapest news portal hvg.hu, citing diplomatic circles.

NATO strongly condemned the attacks on KFOR troops. "Such attacks are completely unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately," said a spokeswoman for the military alliance. KFOR will take all necessary measures to maintain a safe environment. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also condemned the attack: "What is happening here is absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible. We will not tolerate any further attacks on KFOR."

Gunshots, tear gas, stun grenades

The clashes occurred on Monday afternoon, when Serb militants protested against the installation of new mayors in Zvecan and other municipalities. KFOR soldiers, who secured the municipal office in Zvecan, dispersed the violent protest, local media reported. They used stun grenades and tear gas. The crowd in turn threw stones, incendiary devices, bottles and other objects at them. A Serb was wounded by gunfire, the hospital in the nearby town of Mitrovica said. Another 52 Serbs were admitted there with injuries, the hospital said.

The approximately 300 KFOR soldiers had previously taken up position in front of the municipal office in Zvecan on Monday morning in combat gear. At the same time, a large crowd of Serbian demonstrators had gathered in front of the office building. The KFOR troops were supposed to secure the office building instead of the Kosovo special police. This had gained access to the municipal office last Friday, which had already triggered violent protests by militant Serbs.

The police had escorted the new mayor, an Albanian who wanted to take office. Serbs are also protesting in two other places in northern Kosovo, where Albanian mayors have also taken office. The three had been elected in April, with almost all Serbs boycotting the election. That is why the winners of the elections come from Albanian parties. The previous Serbian mayors had resigned from their positions in November 2022 in protest against the policies of the Kosovar government.

The escalation on Monday occurred when the Serbian crowd in Zvecan refused to let the Kosovar police vehicles still standing there drive away. The KFOR squad then dispersed the assembly.

Kosovo, which is now inhabited almost exclusively by Albanians, declared independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognize the statehood of its former province and demands its return. At the same time, it repeatedly stirs up tensions among the Serb population of Kosovo.

In 1999, Belgrade responded to an armed uprising by Kosovo Albanians with expulsions and mass killings of civilians. NATO then intervened with bombardments and forced a withdrawal of Serbian security forces from Kosovo. A UN Security Council decision from the same year tasked KFOR with ensuring security in Kosovo.

jso/dpa