Kosovo: Violence forces returnees to flee

Four Serb returnees have left the village of Zac in Kosovo and moved back to central Serbia after they were attacked once again on Tuesday night. The 26 families that returned to their destroyed property in the village also had their tents pelted with stones on previous occasions, while local ethnic Albanians staged several days of protests against their return. Kosovo: Violence forces returnees to flee Albanians claim that there are “war criminals” among the returnees, while the IDPs deny this, and say they wish to rebuild their homes and cultivate the land that's been usurped by Albanians for the past decade. Minister of Return and Communities in the Kosovo Albanian government in Pristina Sasa Rasic confirmed that the four returnees had left the village. He said he requested “emergency measures for prevention of attacks on returnees”, and “neutralization of local leaders”. ”I was critical toward the municipal structures because their responsibility lies in failing to provide help and not reducing the tensions,” said Rasic. Rasic added that the rest of the 26 families did not intend to leave the village of Zac and that they were “under Kosovo police protection”. Two tent camps housing the IDPs were stoned on Tuesday at about 22:30 CET, after which the families spent a sleepless night paroling in front of their tents. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) condemned today the incident, and requested punishment for those responsible. “The UNHCR respects statements of all competent bodies in Kosovo and expresses hope that they will continue to make efforts to prevent such events, and bring perpetrators to justice,“ UNHCR Representative for Serbia Eduardo Arboleda wrote in a statement. Arboleda pointed out that the UNHCR's position was that all displaced persons in Kosovo had the right to return to their homes and that they did not need to ask for anyone's permission.

Kosovo: Violence forces returnees to flee

Albanians claim that there are “war criminals” among the returnees, while the IDPs deny this, and say they wish to rebuild their homes and cultivate the land that's been usurped by Albanians for the past decade.

Minister of Return and Communities in the Kosovo Albanian government in Priština Saša Rašić confirmed that the four returnees had left the village. He said he requested “emergency measures for prevention of attacks on returnees”, and “neutralization of local leaders”.

”I was critical toward the municipal structures because their responsibility lies in failing to provide help and not reducing the tensions,” said Rašić.

Rašić added that the rest of the 26 families did not intend to leave the village of Žač and that they were “under Kosovo police protection”.

Two tent camps housing the IDPs were stoned on Tuesday at about 22:30 CET, after which the families spent a sleepless night paroling in front of their tents.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) condemned today the incident, and requested punishment for those responsible.

“The UNHCR respects statements of all competent bodies in Kosovo and expresses hope that they will continue to make efforts to prevent such events, and bring perpetrators to justice,“ UNHCR Representative for Serbia Eduardo Arboleda wrote in a statement.

Arboleda pointed out that the UNHCR's position was that all displaced persons in Kosovo had the right to return to their homes and that they did not need to ask for anyone's permission.