Fresh clashes erupted on Tuesday between NATO-led international peacekeeping soldiers and ethnic Serb protesters in northern Kosovo. The protesters were refusing to accept the authority of recently-elected ethnic Albanian mayors in four municipalities in the region.
According to local media reports, soldiers, police units, and armored vehicles were deployed to the town hall in the Serb-dominated village of Zvecan following violent clashes the previous day.
During the Monday clashes, 30 Hungarian and Italian NATO soldiers were injured, along with 50 Serb demonstrators. Tear gas and stun grenades were used by NATO forces to disperse the protesters.
Since Friday, large crowds of Serb protestors have been attempting to block the entry of the ethnic Albanian mayors, who won the April elections boycotted by the Serb community, into their offices in Zvecan, Leposavic, Zubin Potoc, and North Mitrovica.
The European Union (EU) issued an early call on Tuesday, urging Kosovo authorities and the ethnic Serb protesters to halt the escalating violence in the northern part of the Balkan nation.
Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, posted on Twitter, "The EU urges Kosovo authorities and the protesters to immediately and unconditionally de-escalate the situation." He further expressed the bloc's expectation for the parties to act responsibly and seek a political solution through dialogue. Borrell strongly condemned the "shocking" violence in Zvecan.
The Kosovo Serbs, who form a majority in the municipalities where the protests are taking place but remain a minority in Kosovo as a whole, do not recognize the authority of the four mayors elected in April. The ethnic Serbs boycotted the local ballot, resulting in a turnout of just over 3% in the northern regions of Kosovo.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, of provoking the incidents by utilizing the country's special police units to forcibly clear the way for the recently elected mayors to enter their respective town halls, which had been blocked by Serbian demonstrators.
The United States and several European countries have also denounced the use of force by Kosovo authorities.
Washington has suggested that the mayors should work from alternative locations to help restore calm.
Vucic has called on Kosovo Serbs, who claim discrimination by Kosovo authorities, to hold peaceful demonstrations and avoid clashes with NATO-led troops.
Kosovo, a former Serbian province with a majority ethnic Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia unilaterally on February 17, 2008.
Serbia and Kosovo are currently engaged in negotiations to normalize their relations through a US-backed and EU-sponsored plan. However, the process has been frequently disrupted by ethnic tensions.