Those who brought dread and horror to the Albanians in Kosovo throughout the 1990s have now turned against Kosovar Serbs north of the Iber River. But Prishtina will not allow another tragedy within its sovereign territory

In the wake of the violence in northern Kosovo, Serbia has made an implausible bid on ridding itself of responsibility. It blames the mischief and the ongoing tension on Prishtina, even as Belgrade officials are spotted on the ground, propping out obstructions to the rule of law.

Government ministers, state secretaries, and other senior representatives claim they are in Kosovo to lend a hand to the local Serbs. They need support, Serbian officials say, to mobilize against Prishtina’s efforts to impose its own order.

The actual landscape speaks of a different mission for the Serbian representatives as they illegally enter Kosovo to assist not the people but the illegal organizations. Operating on behalf of the Republic of Serbia and linked with an extensive criminal network, the so-called “parallel” structures in the north have served as a powerful tool for the destabilization of Kosovo. Belgrade diplomats would then use the situation to argue against Kosovo’s independence and seek to annex the northern part of the country.

Unable to send ground troops due to the presence of NATO peacekeepers in the region, the “state of Saint Sava” relies on paramilitary structures to enforce its position on Kosovo. But to achieve that, it binds local Serbs to a life in a lawless land, where bread is earned only through servitude to unlawful and criminal organizations.

The illegal structures and the organized crime in the north exert their negative impact on Kosovo’s economy and more regrettably infringe on the state’s sovereignty. But the greatest burden is laid on the local citizens. As Prishtina takes adequate steps to expand its authority over the troubled region, the illegal structures, faced with the omen of death, are willing to sacrifice the people as a means of preventing their downfall.

Kosovar control of the two border posts in the area cuts off the route the gangs have used to smuggle goods ranging from food and petroleum to arms and narcotics. Prishtina gains momentum in its attempts to control its territory, while Belgrade begins to lose its grip and its claim on Kosovo is severely weakened. Serbian officials and their pawns in northern Kosovo rise up in opposition.

In tandem with Belgrade representatives, the illegal organizations bring local Serbs to the streets to erect barricades that would keep police and customs officers from reaching the border checkpoints. But while destructive nationalism pushes Serbia into the game and the mafia groups fight for their mere survival, the people join demonstrations as they are afforded no other choice.

The illegal structures have coerced and blackmailed civilians to participate in roadblock protests. They issued “official” orders for each employee to spend several hours a day in demonstrations. Those not fulfilling their “duty” were told they would lose their jobs; those who seek work elsewhere, i.e. the legal Kosovar job market, are in risk of losing their lives. The recent attack on the ethnic Serb reporter of a Prishtina-based TV station is a typical illustration of human rights violations in northern Kosovo.

Due to the obscure nature of the region, it is hard to discern the extent to which armed extremists may have compelled civilians to protest.* One detail, however, is verified by KFOR: that militants have infiltrated the ostensibly peaceful crowds, ready to provoke the security force into using live ammunition that would indiscriminately hurt civilians. The situation had the peacekeepers back off from lifting the barricades after an earlier attempt Friday night, while it boosted the confidence of Serb officials that the people would not abandon the roads.

Throughout the 1990s, Serbian repression brought dread and horror to the Albanians and other non-Serbs in Kosovo. Today, in 2011, Belgrade-instigated violence and manipulations threatens to take a similar toll on Kosovar Serbs north of the Iber River. To exacerbate matters, Serb officials warn of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe – one they are set to create themselves.

With Kosovo’s ban of Serbian goods as a measure of reciprocity against Belgrade, Serbs have reported shortages of food and medication. But difficulties may only arise as the illegal structures deny the people access to the affluent legal market of Kosovo and government benefits they are entitled to as Kosovar citizens. Gangs, seeking to make things worse, have already prevented the delivery of emergency items, while they continue to keep the local Serbs isolated.

Nonetheless, Kosovo is determined to preclude the tragedy trumpeted by its malevolent neighbor. The tide has begun to turn with KFOR disbanding crowds and clearing hurdles on side roads that lead to the border posts, while the two checkpoints in the area have re-opened. As an immediate remedy, the Kosovar government has announced it is ready to send food supplies to its citizens in the troubled region; in the long run, it stands resolute to extend its constitutional order over the whole territory of the republic.

To perpetuate its authority in the north, the Kosovar government must abide by the fair play rules it has spelled out: the Serbs there will enjoy the same rights, liberties, and opportunities as citizens in the rest of the country. But to make that possible, the government and its international partners have to start by bringing down the illegal structures and protecting Kosovo borders from Belgrade’s vindictive phalanx.

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* Note: after I wrote this piece, Kosovo intelligence reported that paramilitary structures have in fact forced Serb civilians to participate in the roadblock protests

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Die ganze Serie in GT:

Teil 1: Quo vadis Kosovo ... - worum es geht. Von Norbert Gisder 05/2011

Teil 2: Albin Curti - Rebell der Herzen und des Verstands 06/2011

Teil 3: Atifete Jahjaga - jüngste First Lady Europas 06/2011

Teil 4: Bildung ist die beste Medizin 06/2011

Teil 5: Ein Gymnasium für den Kosovo - Wege aus der Zerrissenheit 06/2011

Teil 6: Bildung, Kultur, Schule - Grundlagen für Frieden im Land 06/2011 

Teil 7: Alles über die Asociation "Loyola-Gymnasium", Prizren, Kosovo 06/2011

Teil 8: Offizielle Außenpolitik - Rede des Bundesaußenministers 05/2011

Teil 9: Mitrovica - der Norden des Landes der Skipetaren bleibt unruhig 05/2011

Teil 10: Der Außenminister des vergessenen Volkes - Interview mit Enver Hoxhaj (1) 08/2011 

Teil 11: Kriminelle, Unruhen und das Verhältnis zu Serbien - Hoxhaj-Interview (2) 08/2011

Teil 12: Serbia's Economic Nonsense 08/2011

Teil 13: Nightmare of a Kosovo Serb - by Getoar M. Mjeku 07/2011

Teil 14: Serbiens Aggressoren, Schüsse auf die KFOR - Kommentar von Norbert Gisder 07/2011 

Übersetzung (albanisch): RTK - Koment: Agresioni paramilitar serb dhe plumbat për KFOR-in

Teil 15: "Gut getan, Frau Merkel", Kommentar von Agron Bajrami 12/2011

Teil 16: Kosovo: Der größte Chromerztagebau nimmt seinen Betrieb auf 12/2011

Teil 17: Bundeskanzlerin Merkel in Kosovo – ein Staatsbesuch 12/2011  

Serbeze Haxhiaj über die Menschen - zum Staatsbesuch von Angela Merkel 12/2011

Teil 18: Kadri Veseli und die neu gewonnene Ehre der Männer aus den Bergen 12/2011

Teil 19: Transatlantische Allianz und alte Intrigen 2012 - Analyse von Norbert Gisder 12/2011

Die Serie über den Kosovo - mit Strahlkraft auf den gesamten Balkan, bisher traditionell das Pulverfass Europas - wird fortgesetzt. 2012 erscheint außerdem das Buch von Norbert Gisder: "Sie gingen über Leichen ..." - Aspekte, Hintergründe und Kommentare zur aktuellen Balkankrise.