The NATO-led protection force KFOR has violently dispersed a protest by militant Serbs against new mayors in northern Kosovo. The soldiers used stun grenades and tear gas in front of the municipal office of the village of Zvecan on Monday afternoon. The crowd in turn threw stones, bottles and other objects at them, local media reported. A Serb was wounded by gunfire, the hospital in the nearby town of Mitrovica said. Other Serbs are said to have suffered minor injuries in the clashes, eyewitnesses said.
On Monday morning, about 300 KFOR soldiers in combat gear had taken up position in front of the municipal office in Zvecan, a reporter from the German Press Agency reported from the scene. At the same time, a large crowd of Serbian demonstrators had gathered in front of the office building. The KFOR force was supposed to secure the office building instead of the Kosovo special police. This had gained access to the municipal office last Friday, which had already triggered violent protests by militant Serbs.
The police had escorted the new mayor, an Albanian who wanted to take office. Serbs are also protesting in two other places in northern Kosovo, where Albanian mayors have also taken office. The three had been elected in April, with almost all Serbs boycotting the election. That is why the winners of the elections come from Albanian parties. The previous Serbian mayors had resigned from their positions in November 2022 in protest against the policies of the Kosovar government.