The night passed peacefully, primarily thanks to the courageous people who strived to survive in these areas, to preserve their homes and peace – the Srpska Lista chief, Goran Rakic, addressed the public on the third day of the barricades from the village of Rudare in the municipality of Zvecan.
Rakic reiterated that peace is the only thing the Serbs actually desire.
„We only want one thing. We want peace. We don’t want anything that doesn’t belong to us, we just want to save ourselves and our families,“ he said.
SL president added that the barricades are not actions of the Serbian people, but „reactions to Pristina’s unilateral moves,“ noting that the Serbs are asking for those arrested to be released and the units stationed in the north to withdraw.
„We demand that our citizens who have been unjustly arrested be released and that Albin Kurti withdraw all the units he sent to the north. To cease the mistreatment of our children and to stop the hunt on Serbs,“ emphasized Rakic.
At the same time, he said that all parties should strive for common sense – above all Pristina.
Three days ago, local Serbs installed barricades in at least five places in the north of Kosovo following the arrest of a former member of the Kosovo Police. The road blockades set up by the protesters then led to the closing of the border crossings in the north on Saturday. Today, the doors of the primary and secondary schools in North Mitrovica remained closed. With the exception of a few detonations that could be heard last night, the night passed peacefully.
The previous day was marked by calls from the European Union, but also Great Britain and the US to remove the barricades and urgently de-escalate the situation. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, reiterated the same demands today, with the emphasis that he „knows that both sides are ready for de-escalation“.
Security Council sessions were held yesterday in Belgrade and Pristina.
On the one hand, Kurti and Svecla say that they have the manpower to remove the barricades and that KFOR asked for more time so that the international forces can finish the job quickly.
On the other hand, KFOR gave assurances to Belgrade that their missions will not allow Kosovo special forces from the south to enter the north.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said last night that KFOR should be respected and that Serbs should trust that mission, as a UN security force that guarantees security in Kosovo.
SL chief, Goran Rakic, also reacted today, urging the citizens to respect EULEX and KFOR and help them, if necessary.
EULEX previously announced that their reconnaissance patrols were attacked with a shock bomb on Saturday night, which also caused strong reactions from international officials.
Rakic announced last night that a Crisis Team had been formed, which is set to regularly report to the media about the situation on the ground.
Meanwhile, large numbers of citizens are still protesting at the barricades in Rudare, while police patrols remain stationed in multi-ethnic parts of North Mitrovica. KFOR units are also visible in some parts of the town.
Several detonations were heard in North Mitrovica late last night. The police, however, have no information about them so far.
The concern and uncertainty of the citizens were further exacerbated by last night’s sudden announcement that classes in primary and secondary schools have been suspended for today.
As always, the situation is calm but tense.
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