The conflict in the Balkans has been escalating for days. At the beginning of the week, Serbia put its army on alert, and on Wednesday Kosovo blocked the largest common border crossing. There are now signs of at least a slight relaxation.
Amid the deepening conflict in the Balkans between Serbia and Kosovo, a solution to the 19-day road blockade is emerging. Serbs will start dismantling the barricades this Thursday morning, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Wednesday evening after a meeting with Serbs from northern Kosovo in the Serbian town of Raska. “It’s a long process. It’s going to take a while.”
The trigger was the arrest of a Serbian police officer who is said to have attacked Kosovo police officers at an earlier demonstration. The Serbian demonstrators are demanding his release and set up roadblocks in the course of the sometimes violent protests. A court in Pristina has now ordered that he be released from custody and placed under house arrest.
Tensions in the region had escalated this week after Serbia put the army on alert on Monday and Kosovo closed its main border crossing on Wednesday. NATO, the USA and the European Union were concerned about the development and called for restraint and a willingness to engage in dialogue.
The conflict has been smoldering for more than 20 years. Around 50,000 Serbs live in the north of the predominantly Albanian Kosovo. They refuse to recognize the government in Pristina and Kosovo as a state. Serbia also does not recognize the independence of the region.
