2011 clashes on administrative line of Kosovo and Metohia
Part of Political status of Kosovo
Serbian blockade of a road in North Kosovo
Date 25 July 2011 – present Location North Kosovo Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Kosovo[a]	Serbs of Kosovo
Commanders and leaders
Bajram Rexhepi Erhard Bühler[dubious – discuss]	Unknown
Units involved
Kosovo Police Special Intervention Unit-Kosovo [1] NATO (KFOR)	Serbs of Kosovo [2]
Strength
200+ 100+	Thousands of Protesters
Casualties and losses
First phase 1 killed[1] 6 wounded [3] Second phase NATO 4 injured [4]	First phase Unkown Second phase 16 wouded [5]

The border clashes between Kosovan Serbs and the Government of the Unilaterally Declared Independent Entity List of states that have recognised Serbia's Province/self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo^[a] started on 25 July 2011 when police from the Kosovan side wearing riot gear attempted to seize several border control posts in Kosovo's Serb-controlled North Kosovo.^[6][7] Though tensions between the two sides eased somewhat after the intervention of KFOR's NATO forces, they continued to remain high amid concern from the EU, who also blamed Kosovo for the provocation.

Background

The clashes occurred after weeks of a stand-off over cross-border trade. Since the claim of independence, Kosovo has been unable to export anything to or through Serbia.^[7]´The week prior to the incident Kosovo banned Serbian imports.^[6] There have been several skirmishes reported around the province with the Kosovo police service clashing with Kosovo Serbs.^{[citation needed]}

Incidents

On 26 July 2011, Enver Zymbelli, a member of the Kosovo police's "Special Intervention Unit-Kosovo", was killed by unknown assailant during a grenade blast near the administrative line, during the operation to take control of the check points. Five more policemen were wounded, with at least one being treated in Kosovo hospital for severe wounds.^[8] It was reported that a KFOR Mi-17 helicopter belonging to the Croatian Army^[9] had been fired upon. The same helicopter transported Kosovo police officers to the Jarnjak check point.^[10] Though the Kosovo police later withdrew and there was a lull in tensions, some Serbian protesters returned in the evening and protested at the post.^[11]

Clashes continued on 27 July after armed Kosovan police took over two administrative posts to enforce the proposed and contested central government in Pristina; unknown assailants burned down the check point post at Jarinje. The group, which reportedly included "dozens of masked men, armed with crowbars, clubs, axes, Molotov cocktails and handheld flares,"^[2] as well as rocks and other debris,^[12] were claimed to have attacked the NATO troops who were a part of KFOR operations. The assailants have been accused of firing upon the troops.^[2] This was the same check point that had been burned down in 2008 after the province unilateral declaration of independence.^[13] Following the intervention of KFOR's NATO troops, a NATO operations officer, Lt. Col. Ralf Adametz, said that "The situation is now under control, but tense."^[12]

There was a thaw in tensions on 28 July, after all Kosovan paramilitary units withdrew from North Kosovo, leaving KFOR's NATO troops in charge of maintaining peace in the region. In return, the Serbs removed most of the roadblocks they had created.^[14] KFOR took full control of the two crossings and General Erhard Bühler illegally declared the area around the two crossings to be military areas, therefore giving shoot-to-kill orders to his soldiers for anyone crossing the area.

A Serbian man was later beaten up in Štrpce (an ethnically mixed area), allegedly due to being Serbian; ^[15]

As of 29 July, NATO units remained in control of the two check points. However, they were prevented from returning to their bases by some of the roadblocks set up by hundreds of peaceful Serb protesters. The column of 30 armored vehicles then withdrew from the barricade, even though they were given permission to move against the protesters using force, if necessary. The decision was made to avoid further bloodshed.^[16]

On 31 July, Serbs continued to man their roadblocks and KFOR soldiers remained isolated at the check point crossings they were manning. General Buhler sent an ultimatum to the Serbs blocking the road.^{[clarification needed]}

On 1 August, NATO said that it had cleared three of the roadblocks but claimed that there were still at least five blocks remaining on the two roads leading to central Serbia.^[17] The Kosovan Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi ordered Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanović and the head of the Serbian negotiation team, Borislav Stefanović, to be deported after allegedly having entered the province of Serbia illegally.^[18] The next day, however, some roadblocks remained in place with all major roads being completely sealed off. Agence France Press reported of a severe food crisis and a shortage of medicines in the North.^[19] KFOR then requested a battalion of about 700 soldiers to reinforce its troop presence in the north so it could be more capable of dealing with future protests.^[20]

On 3 August, Kosovan Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi reiterated a refusal to back down on his trade ban as some of the roadblocks remained in place across the North.^{[citation needed]}

Second "Border Crisis"

On 16 September tensions reignited after Kosovo Police, EULEX and Nato units airlifted their men from the Southern Province to the two check points (Jarinje and Brnjak) in an effort to try, for a second time, to establish control over the North of Kosovo. Serbs had blocked all the major routes leading to the two check points, including two major bridges connecting the divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica, and vowed to stay there "until the bitter end". It was also reported by several news agencies that youths from the Albanian and Serbian communities started pelting each other with rocks near the blocked bridge which then caused KFOR to intervene and stop the tension. ^[21]

The 17 September brought no change in the situation with roadblockes being re-inforced by extra Serbs and the Kosovo Police service. The night between Saturday and Sunday passed peacefully in northern Kosovo, with a minor incident near the village of Zupce, and increased police presence in Kosovska Mitrovica. Around 8 pm Saturday, shots were fired in the area neighboring Albanian village of Cabar. Serbs have claimed they were shot at from the same onto the village of Zupce in which they live. We do not know the exact location where the shots came from. There is no information about property damage or wounded people, said regional spokesman for the Kosovo police Besim Hoti. After the shooting, Serbs put up another barricade next to the one already mounted in Zupce, on the road from Kosovska Mitrovica to Ribarici. Gravel was unloaded Saturday night across both lanes of the road leading to the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. ^{[22] [23]}

On the 18 September, For the time being, the protesters appear calm, but you do not have to look hard to see signs of the underlying tension. All along the roads in the north, one comes across makeshift roadblocks. Serbian people are using gravel, rocks, pieces of wood – whatever they can get their hands on to disrupt the flow of traffic in this area. Protesters have vowed the blocks will remain in place until a dialogue begins about who will man the check points and what will happen with the revenue collected from the customs tax. There's now talk amongst Serbians of building new roads to bypass the checkpoints if the Kosovan authorities refuse to leave. ^[24]

On the 19 September, NATO-led peacekeeping force (KFOR) helicopters dropped hundreds of leaflets on Monday urging Serbian community to end blocking roads in northern part of Kosovo. In a five sentence leaflet written in Cyrillic Serbian, KFOR warned citizens in barricades that blocking roads was against the law and therefore such a move "is not in line with peaceful demonstrations"Blocking roads represent danger for all in extraordinary situations, because there is no possibility to deliver help to those in need," stressed KFOR. However, Serbs in Kosovo do not recognize the government of pristina as legitimate and view UNSC resolution as the legal framework. Confirming the air action, KFOR spokesman Ralph Adametz told Xinhua that leaflets were dropped at the barricades close to the crossing check points 1 and 31. He described the overall situation unchangeable, but underlined the need for opening blocked roads. KFOR said the mission "recognizes the right for peaceful protests and demonstrations" but "blocking roads doesn't represent any accepted way for expressing your concerns." The air campaign began hours after the head of EU Rule of law mission (EULEX), Xavier de Marnhac visited the two disputed crossings. According to him, both Gates were technically ready to be fully operational, but the barricades that have been put up in nearby roads prevent the gates from opening. ^[25]

On 27 September four NATO soldiers and seven Serb protesters were wounded on Tuesday in clashes at the disputed Kosovo northern check point known as Gate 1 (Jarinje).

"Four soldiers were injured after the release of night flares. Three have minor injuries, while the fourth who has serious injuries will be evacuated," said NATO spokesman Kai Gudenoge. According to him, NATO-led troops in Kosovo (KFOR) were forced to fire live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas in self-defense to Serb protesters after the night flare incident at the border crossing. Hospital officials in northern Kosovo said seven Serb protesters were wounded from gunfire which erupted in the afternoon in Jarinje. Head of Mitrovica hospital Milan Jakovljevic said the seven injured were brought there for medical treatment. "We can't say if anyone has life threatening injures at this moment, since we are assessing their current extent of the injuries," said Jakovljevic. Minor clashes in the disputed crossing Gate 1 started in the morning after local Serbs tried to set up a new barricade in the main road, hours after KFOR troops removed one. Serb protesters threw stones to soldiers, drawing tear gas response from KFOR. Five Serbs were arrested initially and released later on. Local Serbs were furious after KFOR blocked an alternative crossing that Serbs established for traveling from Kosovo to Serbian territory. They are strongly oppose Pristina's authorities and fiercely reject Kosovo's custom and police officers deployed at two administrative crossings; a move that has prompted Serbs to block main roads close to the crossing points. Pristina's authority said it was in coordination with KFOR and EULEX (EU Rule of Law mission) with the aim to unblock barricaded roads in the north. Local media in Serb-dominated northern Mitrovica claim two EULEX vehicles are set on fire in the town. ^[26]

Response

Kosovo [Albanian]

Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi said of the police operation that it was a "concrete step in establishing the rule of law [in North Kosovo]." He also added that though co-operation with the "international community...the constitution and the sovereignty of my country are sacred for myself and for my countrymen and go beyond any partnership or loyalty."^[13]

On 3 August, Kosovo^[who?] stated that it would not accept a KFOR-Serbia deal which included moving road blocks in northern Kosovo.^[27] The next day Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj accused Serbia of seeking to exploit the increased tensions to pursue what he called Serbia's "long-held dream of partitioning the region."^[28]

Serbia

It was later confirmed that Serbia asked Lebanon and Germany to hold an emergency meeting at the UN. Russia and China also supported the Serbian request; however the United States and the United Kingdom were opposed to the move as they wanted the Kosovo issue to be discussed at the UN next month. The UN approved the Serbian request and the UN emergency meeting was to be held on 28 July, and will be held behind closed doors.^[29]

A statement by Serbian President Boris Tadić's office condemned the violence:^[30] "The hooligans who are sparking violence are not defending either the people or the Serb state. The people must refrain from violence."^[31]

Serbia's State Secretary for Kosovo Oliver Ivanović said that "One act of violence produces more violence. I am afraid we are entering a spiral of violence. Reuters also quoted the chief negotiator of a Serbian team trying to find a solution to the violence, Borko Stefanović as saying that: "This violent act, an act of criminals and extremists, represents a clear attempt to undermine the process we are pursuing and the attempts to resolve all the issues in a peaceful manner. This greatly aggravates the position of Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and is not contributing to the resolution of the problems which had brought us here in the past couple of days."

International

•  EU The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton issued a statement that read: "I strongly condemn the violence that has taken place in northern province of Serbia. These latest developments are unacceptable." She also added that it was the "responsibility" of the Serbian and Kosovan authorities to restore peace within the province. Her Deputy Spokesperson Maja Kocijančič said that Pristina's unilateral decision to take over the border posts was "not helpful. It was not done in consultation neither with the European Union nor the international community and we do not approve [of] it." (sic)

•  NATO A NATO statement read: "The situation deteriorated at the customs post Jarinje and it was confirmed that an act of arson was committed against that position. There have also been confirmed reports of shots fired at KFOR personnel in the vicinity."^[13]

•  United States - President Barack Obama agreed with Kocijančič^[specify], but did not condemn Kosovo.^[13]

•  Russia - Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the NATO actions are provoking a new conflict in the region, and that he has asked NATO to investigate crimes against civilians in Kosovo. He said of Nato:“Instead of taking a status-neutral position in line with the UN Security Council resolution, they are siding with the Kosovo Albanians,“ [...] “We are witnesses to open lies as to what measures were used against the civilian population in Kosovo. We have been told only rubber bullets and tear gas were used in the incident on Tuesday. But based on information from the hospital, the victims all have gun shot wounds,“^[32]

Others

• Ali Ahmeti, the leader of Democratic Union for Integration (the largest Albanian party in Macedonia) said that if the North of Kosovo was given to Serbia then he would no longer be what he chose to call himself as "Macedonia's guardian of peace." He added that Albanians would have to organise themselves as they had done in 2001.^[33]

See also

• Crisis situations and protests in Europe since 2000
• 2008 unrest in Kosovo

Notes and references

Notes:

References: