Serb Violence in Northern Kosovo Over Rebuilding
Mitrovica Continues to Be Unstable Despite Kosovo's Independence
May 12, 2009
European Union and NATO forces have resorted to firing tear gas and stun grenades at Serbs in Northern Kosovo in another indicator that the declaration of independence by Kosovo has been far from smooth. The Albanian majority in Kosovo made the declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008, but less than 60 of the United Nations’ 192 members have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign independent state, separate from Serbia. Serbs are a small minority but dominate the northern part of Kosovo where tensions rose following the declaration of independence. In November 2008, the European Union’s international police force (the EULEX security mission) took over security for Kosovo from the United Nations’ mission, which had been in control of the Serb province since 1999.
The minority Serbs are concentrated in isolated enclaves throughout Kosovo, even more so since the hostilities in 1999. The northern province of Mitrovica is bitterly divided, particularly in the provincial capital of Kosovska-Mitrovica, which has a yellow zone separating the Serbs on the north side of the Ibar River and Kosovar Albanians on the south bank.
The April Clashes are Just the Latest in Mitrovica
There have been sporadic clashes and continuous demonstrations for a decade in the flashpoint of Mitrovica since the end of the fighting at the turn of the century. But there has been a spike of violence and protests over the past month due to moves by the Kosovar authorities in the Kosovo capital of Pristina to restore homes in Serb areas that were owned by Kosovar Albanians prior to 1999.
Serb protesters began demonstrating on April 26, 2009 in the Brdjani neighborhood of Mitrovica, when Kosovo police reinforced their positions. Violence escalated for several days until an agreement was reached with the EU authorities two weeks later on May 11. www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php
The Present Conflict is Over the Rebuilding of Five Albanian Homes in Mitrovica.
During the war many houses were damaged on both sides, and the Serbs had been claiming that they had a signed agreement with the Kosovar Albanians that no restoration work would be done without both sides agreeing. The Kosovars apparently reneged on the deal and the European police force, which was either unaware or ignored the agreement, was caught in the middle as it's mission is to provide security for the new Kosovo state. The violent protests in late April and early May of 2009 were a result of Serbs angry with the international forces allowing the Kosovar Albanian government to initiate a state program that funded the rebuilding of less than half a dozen homes in the Brdjani suburb.
After the yellow line separated the Suhoi neighborhood from the Brdjani neighborhood in 1999, both sides agreed not to rebuild without the consent of the other. The Serbs in northern Kosovo have all along said they would allow the Kosovar Albanians to move back into Serb neighborhoods, on the condition that they would also be allowed to rebuild Serb homes that were damaged in Albanian neighborhoods in the southern part of Mitrovica. The Kosovar Albanians, backed by EU police and NATO troops, apparently refused to negotiate with the Serb community over rebuilding homes in neighborhoods on both sides.
NATO Peacekeepers Fire On Serb Civilians
On April 27, 2009, forces from the EU’s Rule of Law Mission and NATO troops in riot gear and armored vehicles rushed to help Kosovo police and fired tear gas and stun grenades on about 100 protesting Serbs who stormed the Kosovo police lines and broke through the cordon. In following days, and in separate incidents, hand grenades were thrown at the European soldiers and shots were fired in the direction of EU police guarding some three dozen construction workers at the site of the damaged homes.
One French soldier and one protester were slightly injured in the April clashes. Protesters numbering about 200 continued to protest and KFOR followed by moving troops into the neighborhood with tanks and armored vehicles and blocked streets leading to the Brdjani neighborhood. The NATO troops, from France, Denmark, Greece, and Belgium, have tried separating both sides in a bid to reduce violence. www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSL1249216
Kosovo is a Failed State
Russia’s position is that violence against Serbs is unacceptable in Kosovo. The Russians have been a harsh critic of the way the international community handled Kosovo’s declaration of independence and strongly opposes the use of force by EULEX against Serbs. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called into question the legitimacy of international soldiers enforcing an independence that is not recognized by the majority of countries, and appears blatantly favoring one of the belligerents of the dispute. For Serbs, the actions of the European forces are another reminder that, ten years after NATO bombed Serb forces into submission, the West is still not partial.
Kosovo remains a failed state dependent on the international community for its budget and security. Soaring unemployment has given rise to rampant corruption and a thriving underground economy based on illegal trade. While Pristina controls the Albanian areas, Belgrade, which does not recognize Kosovo’s declarations of independence, effectively is in control of the Serb areas as in northern Mitrovica.
Solutions for Resolving the Conflict in Kosovo
There have been three basic schools of thought on a solution for the Kosovo crisis: a federalist government with autonomy for minorities; a Dayton model of divided power; or a formal partition into Serb and Albanian regions. The unseen casualties in this whole dispute are the hundreds of thousands of refugees displaced throughout the former Yugoslavia who will never be able to go back to their homes. Despite the fact that the EU has taken over from the UN, the situation in the north has remained tense. Though there are some signs of easing there is no foreseeable end to the conflict.
