Serbia's president has ordered troops to be ready for battle and to move closer to Kosovo after clashes between protesters and police in the breakaway region.
"The army has been ordered to urgently move closer to Kosovo," Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic announced President Aleksandar Vucic's decision on May 26. "It is clear that terrorist acts are taking place in Kosovo against the Serbian community."
Earlier, clashes broke out between protesters and police in the Kosovo town of Zvecan when a crowd blocked the newly elected Albanian mayor from entering his office. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.
The clashes left four people injured and a police car set on fire. NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo sent several vehicles to the town centre of Zvecan after the clashes.
A police car near a burned car in Zvecan, Kosovo on May 26. Photo: Reuters
Kosovo, with an area of about 10,800 km2, is a breakaway territory located in southwestern Serbia. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia does not recognize it and claims sovereignty over the area. Kosovo has a population of 1.8 million, mainly ethnic Albanians.
About 120,000 Serbs living in northern Kosovo do not recognize the government in Pristina. They are politically loyal to Serbia, which still provides financial support to the community.
Most Western countries recognize Kosovo's independence, but the breakaway region has not been given a seat at the United Nations, due to objections from Russia and China.
Tensions in Kosovo escalated last year after local authorities planned to hold elections in Serb-majority towns, sparking a series of shootings and roadblocks. Kosovo authorities later postponed the vote until April.
About 50,000 ethnic Serbs living in four municipalities in northern Kosovo, including Zvecan, protested the April 23 vote because their demands for greater autonomy were not met.
Voter turnout in these localities was 3.47%. The Serbian community declared that they would not work with mayors from the Albanian party because they did not represent them.
Location of Kosovo and Serbia. Graphic: Britannica
Nguyen Tien (According to Reuters )
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