![]() There are also smaller Serb-populated enclaves in the south of Kosovo, while tens of thousands of Kosovo Serbs live in central Serbia, where they fled together with the withdrawing Serb troops in 1999. Mitrovica, the main town in the north, has been effectively divided into an ethnic Albanian part and a Serb-held part, and the two sides rarely mix. READ MORE: EU envoy in Serbia-Kosovo talks optimistic of progress There are constant tensions between the Kosovo government and the Serbs who live mainly in the north of the country and keep close ties with Belgrade.Īttempts by the central government to impose more control in the Serb-dominated north are usually met with resistance from Serbs. Ethnic Albanian rebels launched a rebellion in 1998 to rid the country of Serbian rule.īelgrade’s brutal response prompted a NATO intervention in 1999, which forced Serbia to pull out and cede control to international peacekeepers. Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians view Kosovo as their country and accuse Serbia of occupation and repression. ![]() Serb nationalists view a 1389 battle against Ottoman Turks there as a symbol of its national struggle. Numerous medieval Serb Orthodox Christian monasteries are in Kosovo. Serbia cherishes the region as the heart of its statehood and religion. The dispute over Kosovo is centuries-old. How deep is the ethnic conflict in Kosovo? The election boycott followed a collective resignation by Serb officials from the area, including administrative staff, judges, and police officers, in November 2022. On Monday, Serbs staged a protest in front of the municipality buildings, triggering a tense standoff that resulted in fierce clashes between the Serbs and the Kosovo peacekeepers and local police. READ MORE: Serbians hand over thousands of weapons after 2 mass shootings ![]() Serbs tried to prevent them from taking over the premises, but the police fired tear gas to disperse them. What’s the latest flare-up about?Īfter Serbs boycotted last month’s local elections held in northern Kosovo, where Serbs represent a majority, newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors moved into their offices with the help of Kosovo’s riot police last Friday. The deadlock has kept tensions simmering and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region after the bloody wars in the 1990s. Russia, China and five European Union nations have sided with Serbia. ![]() Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the United States. Serbia has refused to recognize Kosovo’s statehood and still considers it part of Serbia, even though it has no formal control there. Kosovo is a mainly ethnic Albanian populated territory that was formerly a province of Serbia. The situation has again fueled fears of a renewal of the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo that claimed more than 10,000 lives and left more than 1 million homeless. Serbia raised combat readiness of its troops stationed near the border and warned it won’t stand by if Serbs in Kosovo are attacked again. There have been violent clashes between Kosovo’s police and NATO-led peacekeepers on one side and local Serbs on the other, leaving several people injured on both sides. BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew this weekend after Kosovo’s police raided Serb-dominated areas in the region’s north and seized local municipality buildings. ![]()
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