Northern Kosovo clashes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| North Kosovo clashes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of North Kosovo crisis (2022–2026) | |||||||
 KFOR peacekeepers clashing with Serbian protesters | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Serb protesters |
 NATO Kosovo | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unorganized |
 Angelo Michele Ristuccia | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 Northern Brigade |
Kosovo Force Kosovo Police | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Per Serbia: 55+ protesters injured 6 protesters arrested |
40–93 wounded[4][5] 5 police officers wounded Multiple police cars destroyed | ||||||
On 26 May 2023, Kosovo Police forcefully took control of the municipal buildings of four Serb majority regions in Northern Kosovo after a local election was held.[6] Three days later on 29 May 2023, hundreds of Serbian protesters clashed with KFOR peacekeeping troops after rally at city hall in the town of Zvečan in Northern Kosovo.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Local elections
On 23 April 2023, Kosovo held 2023 Kosovan local elections in four of its northern municipalities.[13] The local election were initially planned to be in December 2022, but they were subsequently postponed.[14] The four municipalities of Leposavić, North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Zvečan all have a Serb majority population. Among the election's declared candidates, only two of them were Serbs and the rest were Albanian. Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic called on ethnic Serbs in the regions to boycott the elections, saying that the Serbs of Northern Kosovo should no longer tolerate a "foreign occupation."[15] All of the elected officials of the municipalities were Albanians.[16]
Clashes
On 26 May 2023, Kosovo Police took control of the municipal buildings in Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić by force after ethnic Serbs had refused to let the newly elected officials assume office. Protestors in Zvečan attempted to stop Kosovar police from escorting the mayor to the city hall leaving 10 protesters and 5 police officers injured. Multiple police cars were also destroyed.[17] The Kosovar Police's use of force against the protesters was condemned by the United States and the EU.[18] On 29 May 2023, hundreds of Serbian protesters rallied at the city hall in the town of Zvečan in Northern Kosovo. The protestors demanded the withdrawal of Kosovo police forces and for the resignation of ethnic Albanian officials who were elected to the mayor's offices in April. The crowd of protesters then spread a huge Serbian flag outside the city hall.[19] NATO peacekeeping soldiers responded by firing tear gas and stun grenades in order to protect Kosovar police officers and disperse protesters. The protesters then responded by throwing rocks, molotov cocktails and other objects at peacekeepers and police officers.[20] Protesters then painted the Russian Z symbol on Kosovo police and NATO peacekeepers' vehicles.[21] KFOR soldiers then moved in with riot shields and batons in another attempt to disperse the crowd. Protesters responded by hurling rocks, bottles and molotov cocktails at the soldiers.[22]
