NATO enforcers suffer burns and broken bones in conflict in Kosovo | Abroad

May 29, 2023 at 11:26 PMUpdate: 10 minutes ago

Peacekeepers from Italy and Hungary were injured on Monday as they tried to end a conflict between Serbian protesters and police in northern Kosovo. The 25 soldiers of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) suffered broken bones and burns, among other things.

The Serb demonstrators are angry because Albanian mayors have been installed in four municipalities where mainly Serbs live. They believe that these mayors cannot properly represent them. They also demand the departure of the Kosovo police from northern Kosovo.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti installed the mayors last week. In doing so, Kurti ignored calls from, among others, the European Union and the United States not to do so because of rising tensions.

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Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia has never recognized it. The European Union and the United States do recognize Kosovo as a country.

Of Kosovo’s 1.8 million inhabitants, 92 percent are ethnic Albanians and 6 percent are ethnic Serbs. Most of the latter group live in North Kosovo. They do not recognize the Kosovo administration. That is why they regularly clash with the authorities.

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