Zvecan (Serbia), 05/30/2023. Soldiers from the NATOled Kosovo International Peacekeeping Force (KFOR) stand guard in front of the Municipality building in Zvecan, Kosovo, May 30, 2023. Civilians were injured after clashes between security forces Clashes between armed forces erupted in Zvecan on May 30, 2023 and ethnic Serbs. Tensions persist in the northern region of Kosovo, home to a majority of ethnic Serbs, after ethnic Albanians took over as mayors in four cities after elections were boycotted by the Serb community. (Electronics) EFE/EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI
A clash between Serbian demonstrators and soldiers of the Organization of the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) Kosovo A total of 50 protesters and 25 soldiers were injured as the mission tried to stem violent protests in northern Kosovo, where Serbs do not accept the authority of mayors of four majorityheld municipalities. According to NATO, the wounded are Hungarian and Italian soldiers who suffered fractures, bruises and burns from incendiary materials. In the town of Zvecan, where the protests were fiercest, security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters. “More than 50 people have been hospitalized due to problems caused by tear gas poisoning and bruising, three of them have been hospitalized and one person has been seriously injured by gunfire and his life is in danger,” said the director of Mitrovica Clinical Center, Zlatan Elek
The Serbs, who are the majority in these cities but a minority in Kosovo, do not recognize the authority of the mayors, who belong to the country’s Albanian majority. her own Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, which was a former province that proclaimed its independence in 2008. In 2022, mayors were elected in ballots boycotted by Serbs, with turnout just over 3%. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has accused Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti of provoking the incidents by using special police forces to force mayors into city halls blocked by Serb protesters three days ago. Vucic called on the Kosovo Serbs to demonstrate peacefully and “not enter into conflicts with NATO”. The two countries are negotiating to normalize their relations on the basis of a new European Union (EU) plan, backed by the US, in a process often punctuated by tensions.
*With information from EFE