Albania’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has marked the third anniversary of the 2023 Banjska attack in northern Kosovo, stressing that full accountability remains essential for lasting peace and stability in the region.
The ministry said that all those responsible for planning, organizing, financing and carrying out the attack should face justice, while all circumstances surrounding the incident must be fully clarified.
The attack on September 24, 2023, was one of Kosovo’s most serious security incidents since independence. An armed Serb paramilitary group attacked Kosovo Police officers in Banjska, killing police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku and injuring other officers.
“Three years later, the necessity remains the same: full accountability,” the Albanian Foreign Ministry said.
It described the attack as not only an assault on Kosovo Police, but also on the rule of law, peace and security, as well as efforts to establish lasting stability and normalization in the Western Balkans.
“Allowing such acts to go unanswered would send the wrong message to those seeking to undermine peace through violence and intimidation,” the ministry said.
Albania’s Foreign Ministry stressed that lasting peace, stability, normalization and genuine reconciliation cannot be achieved without accountability.
“Justice is not, and should never be, an obstacle to dialogue. On the contrary, it is one of the essential foundations on which credible dialogue, mutual trust and long-term reconciliation must rest,” the ministry said.
The Banjska attack remains a major issue in Kosovo-Serbia relations, with Kosovo calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.
