Tensions in Kosovo soar between Serbs, ethnic Albanians

Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo set up roadblocks Tuesday made from heavily-loaded trucks. The roadblocks in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica divide Kosovo Serbs and ethnic Albanians. Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he ordered Serbian troops to be on high alert. Vucic claims Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian authorities are plotting to attack Serbs in northern Kosovo and expel them. Albanian-majority Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia still claims it as part of its territory.

Why did they put up the barricades? The latest tensions arose in November when Kosovo said it would require Serbs in its borders to have Kosovo-issued IDs and license plates. Last month, many ethnic Serb officials in northern Kosovo resigned in protest, including several mayors, local judges, and about 600 police officers. Since Dec. 10, Serbs have been erecting roadblocks and exchanging gunfire with police after the arrest of a former Serb policeman who is accused of assaulting police officers. 

Dig deeper: From the World archives, read Mindy Belz’s report in World Magazine on the start of the Serbia-Kosovo deal.