Hundreds of Serbs organized a demonstration in the divided Kosovo city of Mitrovica on Wednesday, opposing efforts to reopen a bridge that separates their community from ethnic Albanians in the volatile region. The bridge has been a site of numerous conflicts since the 1999 war between Serbian forces and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, which resulted in 13,000 deaths and concluded following a US-led NATO bombing campaign.
Kosovo government officials have advocated for the bridge's opening in the northern city, with Prime Minister Albin Kurti stating last week that the crossing 'must be opened' during a meeting with Western ambassadors. Demonstrators waved Serbian flags and sang the national anthem as they gathered near the bridge, criticizing Kurti's government.
'For Serbs, this bridge is a symbol of survival,' stated local judge Nikola Kabasic. 'Pristina wants to reopen Pandora's box,' commented another protester who wished to remain anonymous. On Tuesday, the NATO-led peacekeeping force KFOR announced it would intervene if Kosovo authorities attempted to open the bridge. KFOR has a robust presence in Mitrovica and frequently patrols the area around the bridge over the Ibar River, which has been closed to vehicular traffic for years.
This announcement followed a recent visit to the bridge by members of the ethnic-Albanian-dominated governing cabinet, who were conducting 'an imminent technical inspection' of the area. The KFOR statement was issued a day after Kosovo authorities raided at least nine Serbian post office branches near its northern border with Serbia. Serbian post offices in Kosovo have traditionally been used to receive funds, including pensions, and transfer money to financial institutions in Serbia.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have been escalating for months, triggered by this year's introduction of a rule that designated the euro as the sole legal currency in Kosovo, effectively banning the use of the Serbian dinar. This decision has provoked Belgrade, which continues to fund a parallel health, education, and social security system for the Serbian minority in Kosovo. Hostility between Kosovo and Serbia has endured since the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia has never recognized.
