About 25 members of the NATO-led force (KFOR) were injured in clashes in northern Kosovo on Monday, where Serb protesters were demanding the departure of Albanian mayors, KFOR said in a statement.
Several soldiers from KFOR’s Italian and Hungarian contingents “were the target of unprovoked attacks and sustained traumatic injuries including broken bones and burns from the explosion of incendiary devices” while “containing the most active fringe of the crowd,” the multinational force said in a statement Atlantic alliance in Brussels attacks as “unacceptable”.
Local elections at the heart of the conflict
In Zvecan, “demonstrators tried to use force and tear gas to break through the security barriers and enter the community premises,” according to a press release from the local police.
The Serbs, whose political representatives left local institutions in northern Kosovo in November, boycotted the local elections organized by the Kosovar government in April in an attempt to end the institutional vacuum.
Incidents erupted in this region as early as Friday, when ethnic Albanian mayors took office accompanied by police.
Condemnations of NATO and Italy
NATO on Monday “strongly condemned” “unacceptable” attacks against KFOR troops that resulted in “injuries”. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed her “strongest condemnation”, “absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible”.
“We will not tolerate any further attacks against KFOR. It is essential to avoid further unilateral action by the Kosovan authorities and for all parties to step back immediately to defuse tensions,” she added in a statement. Eleven Italian soldiers were injured, including “three in serious condition,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a tweet.