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Kosovo's resurgent armed groups
31 January 2008
Amid the already heightened tensions surrounding the fate of the UN-administered Serbian province of Kosovo, the reappearance of several armed groups is further jangling nerves.
The appearance on the province's main broadcaster, Radio-Television Kosova (RTK), of balaclava-clad men claiming allegiance to the outlawed Albanian National Army (Armata Kombetare Shqiptare: AKSh) in October 2007 drew condemnation from international, Serbian and Kosovar politicians alike. However, it is in the interests of both Belgrade and Pristina to exaggerate the presence of Albanian armed groups, although from opposite standpoints.
Demonstrating the frustration of Kosovo's 90 per cent Albanian majority could put pressure on the international community to grant Kosovo independence more quickly. Therefore, while publicly condemning AKSh's actions and rhetoric, the hand of Kosovo's Unity Team (the group of five Kosovo Albanian political parties taking part in last-ditch negotiations with Belgrade in October) will have been strengthened.
At the same time, Serbian politicians are convinced that Kosovo's Albanian population is not competent to govern itself, and regularly warn that the province will turn into a black hole for organised crime if given independence. They also argue that Kosovo's indigenous governing institutions are unwilling or unable to protect the rights of minorities (specifically Kosovo Serbs) in Kosovo without an international presence. The presence of armed groups harassing civilians in Kosovo Liberation Army-style outfits bolsters this rhetoric.
Kosovo will likely declare independence unilaterally in the coming weeks, which will probably be recognised by the US, France, the UK, Italy and Germany relatively quickly. The reaction of these different armed groups will be crucial to Kosovo's short- and medium-term stability, but perhaps more than that, the way the media in Kosovo and Serbia report any reactions will have a lasting impact on inter-ethnic relations, regardless of the security threat actually posed by these groups.