NATO’s peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, issued a harsh warning on Tuesday to Kosovo’s government, cautioning against any attempts to reopen a bridge in Mitrovica that separates Serb and ethnic Albanian communities.

Why is this relevant

This development follows a series of actions that are escalating tensions in the north of Kosovo, inluding the closure of nine Serbian-run post offices (hyperlink me artikullin tjeter). 

Context

The bridge over the Ibar River has been closed to vehicle traffic for several years due to frequent clashes that have occurred since the 1999 war between Serbian forces and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority. 

The bridge is currently open only for pedestrians, although it was agreed, as part of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, that it would also be opened for traffic.

KFOR’s warning came after members of Kosovo’s government recently visited the bridge to oversee a “technical inspection” and evaluate the possibility of reopening it.

KFOR stressed its readiness to intervene if Kosovo authorities proceed with plans to open the bridge. KFOR declared it would “not hesitate” to act against any developments that could disrupt the security environment or regional stability. 

Prime Minister Albin Kurti had previously called for the bridge’s reopening during a meeting with Western ambassadors, asserting that it “must be opened. Freedom of movement and the rule of law do not endanger peace and security, on the contrary”.

The representatives of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the EU stated they ‘cannot support any change in the current status of the Mitrovica bridge at this time’.