On Tuesday, traffic at the Bërnjak border crossing with Serbia continued uninterrupted throughout the day. However, there are concerns that this and other border crossings with Serbia could be blocked, potentially hindering free movement, with the possibility of such actions being carried out by Serbs across the border.
Rasha Rojević, the head of the so-called Association of Citizens of the Mitrovica District, has warned that on September 6th, this coming Friday, the borders with Serbia will be closed by Serbian citizens. They plan to keep them closed until Kosovo police forces withdraw from the north and the seized institutions are returned to the Serbian citizens.
The Kosovo Police have limited information about such plans but emphasize that they are prepared for any scenario.
“We have as much information as you do; that is, we have seen on social media that such an organization might occur. Nonetheless, we are working in this direction to gather as much information as possible. As far as we know, these protests and blockades are being planned outside Kosovo’s borders,” stated Veton Elshani, Acting Director of Police in the Northern Mitrovica region.
Elshani added that such blockades will not be allowed within Kosovo’s territory, and they have neither information nor warnings about these actions.
“We will react depending on the situation. We are prepared for all scenarios; there is nothing extraordinary,” he said.
Security expert Arben Dasheci views such an organization as unlikely.
“This may just be an attempt. If you remember last year, it lasted only a few hours before they withdrew because, apart from security concerns, there would also be issues with the free movement of people,” said Arben Dasheci, a security expert.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Serbs protested for the second consecutive day in front of the illegal municipal buildings, demanding to return to their workplaces after the Kosovo Police closed the illegal municipalities last week at the request of the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA).
The protest was peaceful and lasted about 30 minutes.
