Fiery Atmosphere In Both Kosovo And Serbia

The protests that are slowly spreading to engulf other cities – as is becoming increasingly certain – definitely won’t come to an end until citizens’ demands are met, despite the attempts of the current government to diminish and undermine them. The “reality show” in the Serbian National Assembly and public appearances of officials of the ruling coalition only serve to prompt ever more people to gather at each subsequent protest. As for the Government of Serbia, it has been on holiday since the start of its term... Even well-informed journalists can’t remember who all the ministers are, because many of them are adept at hiding from the public eye... One thing that’s certain is that the President of Serbia will not go on holiday, as is his custom... Thus, the summer will certainly also be complicated because of that...

The situation in North Kosovo can’t be pacified quickly, even if Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti agrees to withdraw the special police and the mayor who was “elected” in elections boycotted by Serbs. The atmosphere isn’t only fiery in the North, but rather also in the Serb enclaves to the south of the Ibar. Residents of the municipality of Štrpce are complaining about increased police authoritarianism (the entire municipal leadership was arrested a year and a half ago and most of them haven’t had a hearing for more than a year). In the district of Kosovo Pomoravlje, in the villages near Kosovska Kamenica, the police arrested several locals and charged one of them with war crimes. Frightened locals claim that the police randomly arrested everyone who happened to be on the street, but also insist that their accused neighbour, a pensioner, didn’t participate in the war. Plainclothes Kosovo police officers in the North are also trying to secretly arrest people who participated in the recent protests held in front of municipal buildings.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti claims that he has no intention of backing down, but rather is intensi- fying the repression, despite representatives of the U.S. administration publicly expressing their displeasure.

Kurti risks overturning Washington’s decades-long sympathy for Kosovo Albanians. Kurti attempted (and proved successful) to provoke a conflict between KFOR and local Serbs, but he didn’t count on his Western partners identifying him as the main culprit of the crisis. In all probability, this summer won’t be a peaceful one on the Kosovo political scene either. All opposition parties have raised their voices against Kurti and that dissatisfaction could spill over onto the streets. Warnings that Kurti’s obstinance is leading Kosovo towards isolation and bankruptcy could trigger a new wave of police violence in the North, but also protests against the Government of Kosovo among ethnic Albanian. NATO is sending ever more soldiers to Kosovo, the West is losing trust in the Kosovo government, there is no political solution on the horizon, nationalist extremism is awakening in the response of the police to the Serb population... This is too much of a risk, and thus the fear that the Kosovo summer could be more dramatic than the traditionally “hot” spring is justified.