04.06.2023

Balkans Monitor 1/6/2023

For the past two weeks, north Kosovo has been shaken by violence and protests. Efforts have been underway to de-escalate the situation to prevent a relapse of violence as happened in Kosovo between 1998-1999, causing over 10,000 deaths, 1 million displacements, and the deployment of a NATO-led peacekeeping force – KFOR  that has remained there ever since. The EU and US have placed mounting pressure on Kosovo and Serbia to immediately defuse the crisis. However, the violence has been blamed almost exclusively on Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. This week’s monitor covers the sequence of events that led to the outbreak of violence, shares what efforts are underway to de-escalate the crisis and resume dialogue on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, and considers what is at stake for Kosovo if it fails to meet the international community’s demands.

Vanessa Tinker