What is Switzerland doing in Kosovo?
Switzerland has been involved in the international peacekeeping mission Kosovo Force (KFOR) led by NATO in Kosovo since 1999. Up to 195 volunteers, equipped with weapons for self-defense, form the so-called Swisscoy, an association of the Swiss army.
The main area of responsibility is monitoring the situation by LMT, liaison and monitoring teams. Among other things, these teams conduct interviews with the local population or authorities to obtain information that KFOR can use to assess the security situation and the situation on the ground. Coordination takes place through Swissint, the competence center for international peacebuilding in Switzerland.
What is the current situation for the Swiss in the Kosovo mission?
The situation in Kosovo is basically stable, but unrest could break out at any time. Especially in the north of Kosovo, current events show that the situation in this part of the country is fragile and sometimes tense.
Despite this, the situation in Kosovo can generally be considered calm and stable in most parts of the country, also thanks to the KFOR mission. “KFOR, Swisscoy and the Swissint Competence Center in Stans-Oberdorf continuously monitor and assess the security situation in Kosovo in order to respond if the situation changes,” Swissint said when asked.
The safety of the members of the military in Kosovo is always the top priority – “at the moment there are no signs that this is not guaranteed”.
Are the Swiss soldiers involved in the current unrest in Kosovo?
The members of Swisscoy are not affected by the recent riots. “The KFOR soldiers deployed during the current events belong to a unit of the mission specially trained to disperse crowds,” a spokeswoman for Swissint said of the riots in the north of the country. The Swiss Army members are therefore unaffected by current events and “continue with their daily duties”.
Are the Swisscoy soldiers trained for situations such as breaking up demonstrations?
Swisscoy’s mandate does not include breaking up demonstrations. “Swisscoy does not undertake any duties that fall under the scope of Crowd and Riot Control (CRC), or crowd breaking,” says Swissint. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
