PRISHTINA — Diplomatic missions in Kosovo have renewed calls for Serbia to bring Milan Radoičić and other suspects to justice over the September 2023 armed attack in Banjska, Zvečan, as Kosovo marks the third anniversary of the incident.
Radoičić, a former deputy leader of the Serb List, has been identified by Kosovo authorities as the leader of the armed group involved in the attack, in which Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed.
Radoičić appeared before Serbia’s Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade on October 3, 2023, days after he was seen in military uniform in Kosovo. The following day, the Higher Court in Belgrade rejected a request for his detention and released him under conditions that included a ban on entering Kosovo.
Three years after the attack, Radoičić remains at liberty in Serbia.
The U.S. Embassy in Kosovo said it joined Kosovo in honoring Bunjaku, who was killed while on duty during the Banjska attack, and renewed its call for those responsible to be held accountable.
“We reiterate our call for the perpetrators of this attack to be held accountable,” the embassy said in a statement.
The British Embassy in Kosovo also called on Serbian authorities to take action against those responsible.
“Those responsible, including Milan Radoičić, have still not faced justice. We again call on the Serbian authorities to take the necessary steps to ensure that those responsible are held accountable, without further delay,” the embassy said.
The German Embassy in Kosovo similarly said that the self-declared leader of the attack had not yet been held accountable.
“It is essential that justice is served without any further delay,” the German Embassy said.
The French Embassy in Kosovo and the European Union Office in Kosovo also called for those responsible for the Banjska attack to face justice.
The September 24, 2023 attack began after an armed group blocked a road near the village of Banjska and subsequently engaged Kosovo Police officers in a confrontation. Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed, while the incident developed into a major security operation in northern Kosovo.
Kosovo has repeatedly accused Serbia of involvement in the attack, while Serbian authorities have rejected allegations of direct state responsibility. Radoičić has acknowledged organizing and participating in the Banjska operation but has denied that the Serbian state was involved.
The renewed statements from Western diplomatic missions come as Kosovo commemorates Bunjaku and calls for accountability over an attack that significantly heightened tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.
