Gudzic: Fear remains after Banjska incident, new incidents not ruled out

Following yesterday's events in Banjska, during which at least four people lost their lives in Kosovo, fear remains, political analyst Aleksandar Gudzic from Gracanica says, and he warns that new incidents cannot be ruled out because, as he emphasizes, "one act of violence leads to another."

Gudzic stated to Kosovo Online that the outcome of yesterday's events was several dead people, the blockade of Banjska, trauma for those who lived there and who had been in a blockade all day, "witnessing war scenes."

In such situations, everyone loses, he adds.

"There are no winners; the only ones who lose are the citizens of Kosovo who were in a state of emergency all day yesterday, waiting to see what might happen and whether this violence and shooting could lead to a wider conflict, spilling over into other parts of Kosovo. So, there are no winners, only losers," Gudzic said.

Based on past experiences, he points out that Serbs in Kosovo fear new incidents and conflicts.

"Knowing everything that Pristina has done in recent months and years, it is not excluded that there will be new incidents and conflicts because one act of violence leads to another, and it becomes a vicious circle," Gudzic said.

He highlights that he was not surprised by KFOR's reaction, or rather, lack of reaction.

"NATO and KFOR behave like legalists and support institutions with all the flaws that these institutions have. But this is something we have been facing for years, that the international community, especially its Western part, has understanding for the violence carried out by Pristina against Serbs, or has justifications for what Pristina has been doing for years," Gudzic said.

Referring to the fact that even the family of the deceased Kosovo police officer called on Prime Minister Kurti not to keep special forces in the north but to resolve matters through dialogue, Gudzic agrees that talks are the only solution.

"Dialogue is the only rational solution and something that Albin Kurti should insist on because the violence he is carrying out in the north leads to other violence. It's like a spiral, a spring system, the more you press it, it eventually explodes," Gudzic concluded.