Police fire tear gas shells to disperse crowd around municipality buildings in northern Mitrovica District
BELGRADE, Serbia
Tensions gripped Kosovo again on Monday as Serb protesters attempted to bar newly elected Albanian mayors from entering three municipal buildings, forcing police to fire tear gas shells to disperse them.
NATO’s Peacekeeping Force in Kosovo (KFOR) also assisted police in clearing paths for the mayors of Zvecan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavic in Mitrovica District to enter their respective municipal buildings on the day of their swearing-in ceremonies.
This is the second incident in five days, as Serbs gathered in Zvecan municipality on Friday to prevent the newly elected Albanian mayor from taking up his official duties after his swearing-in. During the clashes with the police, 10 people were injured.
Last month, Kosovo Serbs boycotted extraordinary local government elections for four municipalities in the country’s north. Only 3.47% of eligible voters cast ballots, according to the Kosovo Central Election Commission (KQZ).
After the elections, the EU said in a statement that low turnout did not provide municipalities with long-term political solutions.
Earlier, on Monday morning, Serbs gathered in front of three municipalities, demanding that the police leave the buildings and that the newly elected Albanian mayors do not begin their official duties.
Police and KFOR fenced town halls and increased staff numbers in the area to avert any untoward incidents. The situation is reported to be under control now.
However, in Zvecan municipality, protesters attempted to breach the police cordon in front of the town hall, the police said in a statement, adding that they used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
There have been no independent reports of injuries from tear gas by police.
Meanwhile, the US, UK, France, Italy, and Germany issued a joint statement, urging elected Albanian mayors to exercise restraint in order to fulfill their responsibilities to represent and serve all members of their communities.
“We strongly warn all parties to any other threats or actions that could affect a safe and secure environment, including freedom of movement, and could inflame tension or incite conflict. We are particularly concerned about the safety and well-being of civilians, police officers, EULEX (European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo), and KFOR members,” the statement said.
Local media reported that US Ambassador Jeff Hovenier invited the four mayors of the north to meet.
On Friday, tensions between Belgrade and Pristina rose after police in Kosovo clashed with local Serbs who gathered in front of the municipal building to prevent the newly elected ethnic Albanian mayor from entering his office.
Police in riot gear were deployed around the premises, along with the EULEX and KFOR members.
Stun grenades and tear gas were used, which caused injuries to at least 10 people after a police vehicle was set on fire and automatic gunfire was heard, according to media reports.
Later, Serbia ordered its army to advance to the border with Kosovo and urged NATO to “stop the violence against local Serbs in Kosovo.”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also urged the army and security forces to be combat-ready.
Kosovo Serbs on Saturday called on Vucic to suspend the ongoing dialogue process for normalizing relations with Kosovo, whose 2008 independence neighboring Serbia has never recognized.
