The crisis between Serbia and Kosovo is fueling fears of a new war

Rising tensions in Kosovo forced NATO to respond by sending 700 troops to reinforce the 3,800 already on the ground within KFOR, a peacekeeping force deployed for 24 years, as the US and EU try to avoid an escalation that would revive the 1998-1999 war, in which NATO intervened militarily as would prevent new ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia.

What caused the new crisis?

The unrest began last week when Serb protesters prevented the Kosovo Albanian mayors of four municipalities in the north – where they are the majority – from taking office after boycotting the election. The clashes ended on Monday with more than 80 wounded, including 30 allied soldiers. Kosovo is home to about two million ethnic Albanians and about 80,000 Serbs who reject the authority of the government in Pristina. The Serbian minority says they feel discriminated against and demand that they be granted a certain level of autonomy, as stated in the 2013 Brussels Agreement negotiated by the EU, but which Pristina does not implement because it believes it violates their integrity. As a sign of protest, already in November of last year, Serbs submitted their resignations in a block from all Kosovo administrations.

What is the status of Kosovo?

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The US was the first to support secession, which over the years has been supported by 22 EU countries except Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus. The Serbian president, the nationalist Aleksandar Vučić, promised that he would never recognize independence. Belgrade considers that territory an almost mythical origin of the people, because the main Orthodox temples are located there.

What is the reaction of the USA and the EU?

Both the European Union and the US have shown that they reject the escalation of tensions and the legitimacy of the mayor. President Emmanuel Macron was direct and held the Kosovo government responsible for the current situation of tension on Wednesday. The White House decided to exclude Pristina from joint military exercises. Brussels has mediated between Belgrade and Pristina for a decade, with few tangible results. Yesterday, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, met in Slovakia with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. “The situation is dangerous and unsustainable. We must de-escalate and urgently seek a solution through dialogue,” he said. Today, he will meet with Vučić, on the sidelines of the summit of the European Political Community, which is being held today in Moldova.

What role does Russia play?

The Kosovo crisis is also playing out on the international scene and is another scenario in the conflict of powers. Beijing and Moscow defend the territorial integrity of Serbia and therefore reject the independence of Kosovo. Russia, a Slavic nation with historical ties to Serbia, accuses the West of fomenting the conflict and violating United Nations Security Council resolution 1244, which calls for negotiations to create “significant self-government” for Kosovo while taking into account Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.