The announcement reflects some concern on the part of the international community. NATO announced on Tuesday the deployment of additional forces in Kosovo, after clashes that left about thirty wounded Monday among international soldiers. Thirty members of KFOR, an international force based in Kosovo, were wounded Monday in clashes with Serb demonstrators.
'A precautionary measure'
"The deployment of additional NATO forces in Kosovo is a prudent measure to ensure that KFOR has the capabilities it needs to maintain security in accordance with the mandate entrusted to us by the UN Security Council," Admiral Stuart B. Munsch said in a statement.
A territory of the former Yugoslavia landlocked between Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia, Kosovo declared its independence in 2008 but remains considered an autonomous Serbian province by Belgrade. This state, populated mainly by Albanians, is recognized by a hundred countries, including most Westerners and recently by Israel.
Albanian mayors in Serb-majority towns
At the heart of these new tensions is the refusal of the Serb minority to recognise the authority of mayors of Albanian origin in towns in the north of the country, a region populated mainly by Serbs. The latter boycotted the election which resulted in the election of Albanian mayors with a turnout of less than 3.5%.
These mayors were inaugurated last week by the government of Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, ignoring calls for appeasement by the EU and the United States.
On Monday in Zvecan, a commune in northern Kosovo, Serb protesters were initially pushed back by Kosovar forces who used tear gas. KFOR then attempted to separate the two sides before beginning to disperse the crowd. Protesters responded by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the soldiers.
Nineteen Hungarian and 11 Italian soldiers were injured in the clashes, KFOR said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that they suffered "fractures and burns caused by improvised incendiary explosive devices". "Three Hungarian soldiers were wounded by firearms," the source said.
At least 52 people were injured in the ranks of Serb protesters, three of them seriously, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said. Five Serb protesters suspected of involvement in the clashes have been arrested, according to Kosovo police. Belgrade has ordered the Serbian army to place itself on high alert, as has been the case regularly in recent years.
On Monday, Serbian world No. 3 Novak Djokovic angered Pristina, the Kosovar capital, by writing: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia, stop the violence!" on a camera after his victory in the first round of Roland-Garros.
