UN mission chief warns rising Kosovo tensions are eroding trust

Kosovo’s recent rise in tensions is eroding trust between communities and putting pressure on the territory’s multi-ethnic character, the head of the UN mission there told the Security Council on 20 October. He urged Kosovo’s new institutions to turn recent political progress into effective governance for all communities. [1]

Peter Due, the UN secretary-general’s special representative and head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), said tensions had increased in Kosovo and the region over the previous six months. June’s elections had been peaceful and inclusive, he said, but were followed by political uncertainty and heightened rhetoric.

Due pointed to property disputes, stalled efforts to reintegrate Kosovo Serb judicial personnel and allegations of police ill-treatment of Kosovo Serbs as factors reinforcing perceptions of insecurity and unequal treatment. He also said 1,577 people remained unaccounted for, and called for efforts to resolve missing-person cases to remain humanitarian and free from political interference.

The meeting exposed sharp divisions over both the situation on the ground and UNMIK’s future. Serbia’s foreign minister, Marko Đurić, alleged that Kosovo Serbs faced intimidation and excessive police force, and argued that the mission remained essential. Kosovo’s representative, Glauk Konjufca, rejected what he called a selective account of events, defended the closure of Serbian-operated structures in northern Kosovo as necessary for security and the rule of law, and questioned UNMIK’s mandate.

Security Council members were also split. The United States called for UNMIK to be closed, while the United Kingdom sought a strategic review of its role, responsibilities and funding. Russia urged that the mission retain its staff and resources. Due said UNMIK continued to support dialogue, trust-building and inclusion, despite operational and financial constraints.

The discussion also addressed judicial independence. Due said it must be respected after expressing concern about amendments that limit the powers of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which have convicted former president Hashim Thaçi and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders of war crimes. France and Greece raised concerns about the Chambers and the integration of Kosovo Serb judges and prosecutors; the European Union called for conditions that would enable a multi-ethnic judiciary.

The meeting ended with competing calls for accountability and dialogue. Kosovo’s representative urged Serbia to take responsibility for the 2023 Banjska attack, while Đurić said dialogue must produce improvements in people’s daily lives, rather than substitute for implementation.