Tensions are rising in northern Kosovo. Militant Serbs have blocked access routes there, the authorities say. In addition, Kosovan police officers are said to have been shot at. The background is a change in entry regulations.
Militant Serbs have erected barricades in the predominantly Serb populated north of Kosovo. Unknown persons also fired shots in the direction of Kosovan police officers, but no one was injured, the police in Pristina said. The tensions arose because the Kosovan authorities will no longer recognize Serbian identity documents at the border crossings from Monday. Serbs with such papers have to have a provisional document issued at the border.
According to the Kosovan interpretation, this is a measure based on reciprocity. For a long time now, Kosovan citizens have had to have a provisional document issued when they cross the border into Serbia because the Serbian authorities do not recognize the Kosovar papers. Militant Serbs blocked the access routes to two border crossings to Serbia with barricades.
Kosovo, now almost exclusively inhabited by Albanians, used to belong to Serbia. In 2008 it declared itself independent. Serbia does not recognize the statehood of Kosovo and claims its territory for itself.
