New shooting near Serb returnee camp

There has been a new armed incident near a tent camp set up by Serb IDPs who returned to their homes in the village of Zac in Kosovo. They say that on Wednesday, around 21:45 CET, fire was opened from an automatic weapon. New shooting near Serb returnee camp “Police were at the entrance to the camp, but obviously, nobody minded,” said one returnee who wished to remain anonymous. This is the second such incident in the past ten days that occurred close to the camp that is now home to 22 returnees. No one was hurt in either shooting. The returnees also said that there were visible bullet traces on one of their houses nearby. Kosovo police, KPS, said that they searched the area, but could not find out who the shooter was. Ever since the Serbs returned to their homes after a decade in exile earlier this year, they faced protests, and stoning incidents, organized by local ethnic Albanians, who claim that war criminals were among them. But returnees reject those claims, saying that in case any of them had committed crimes, they would not have returned to their property. The returnees went back to the village on their own, but UNHCR provided them with tents pending repair works on their destroyed houses.

New shooting near Serb returnee camp

“Police were at the entrance to the camp, but obviously, nobody minded,” said one returnee who wished to remain anonymous.

This is the second such incident in the past ten days that occurred close to the camp that is now home to 22 returnees. No one was hurt in either shooting.

The returnees also said that there were visible bullet traces on one of their houses nearby.

Kosovo police, KPS, said that they searched the area, but could not find out who the shooter was.

Ever since the Serbs returned to their homes after a decade in exile earlier this year, they faced protests, and stoning incidents, organized by local ethnic Albanians, who claim that war criminals were among them.

But returnees reject those claims, saying that in case any of them had committed crimes, they would not have returned to their property.

The returnees went back to the village on their own, but UNHCR provided them with tents pending repair works on their destroyed houses.