Eurasia Press & News
Two cars were burnt in the latest inter-ethnic clash in Kosovo’s ethnically divided city of Mitrovica, Kosovo police says.
The violence between Kosovo Serbs who dominate the northern part of the town and Kosovo Albanians who dominate the south started around 19:30 hours CET on Tuesday night.
The row started when a group of Serb youngsters met a group of Albanian young men, police say, but could not confirm whether there was an exchange of fire between the two groups.
The town of Mitrovica has been a flashpoint since Kosovo’s Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia in February. Some 20,000 Serbs who live in the north of the town reject the secession. In the last two weeks tensions have spilled over to violent protests, street fights and ambushes that have injured several people and caused extensive property damage.
Earlier in the day, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci met with senior security officials. The President’s cabinet said in a statement that Kosovo authorities and representatives of international organisations agreed a united stance was needed to deal with the situation in Mitrovica.
“A joint reaction of Kosovo Police, the police of [EU rule of law mission] EULEX and [NATO peacekeeping mission] KFOR, would be an adequate response to the created situation,” the statement said.
