US Blames Kosovo for Violence in North as Disputed Mayors Enter Offices

One day after new Albanian mayors took their oaths of office in Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo, violence erupted between local Serbs and the police as locals attempted to stop the new mayors from entering their municipal buildings.

Police confirmed that five policemen were injured and Serbian language media report that dozens of citizens were also injured in clashes between locals and the police, where tear gas was used, gunshots were heard and police vehicles were burnt and damaged.

Local Albanian-language media Koha reported that the vehicle of their team was attacked with stones by masked persons but no one was hurt. The Kosovo Journalists Association asked the Kosovo Police and the international presence of KFOR and EULEX to ensure the safety of journalists

The US embassy harshly criticised the Kosovo authorities for using force to get the disputed mayors into their municipal buildings.

"The United States condemns the ongoing action by Kosovan authorities to access municipal buildings in the north of Kosovo. Today's violent measures should be immediately halted," ambassador Jeff Hovenier tweeted.

Local Serbs dispute the legitimacy of recent elections that they boycotted en masse and in which only 3.47 per cent of people voted.

Serbian broadcaster RTS reported in the hospital in the divided town of Mitrovica that ten people were injured in the conflict between the police and gathered citizens.

"Five policemen received slight bodily injuries. After receiving treatment, they returned on duty," Kosovo Police spokesperson Baki Kelani told BIRN.

Kosovo police vehicle damaged in the country's Serb-majority north on Friday, May 26, 2023. Photo: BIRN

Around noon on Friday, the alarm...

Continue reading on: