The Serbs in Suvi Do are upset after a series of incidents; call for peace to be preserved

The Serbs in the mixed settlement of Suvi Do in North Mitrovica have been exposed to pressure and threats from Albanians for days, and after the beating of the minor Lazar Milentijevic, last night, unknown persons fired firearms in this settlement.

The Serbs feel scared and anxious because the incidents are frequent, and the perpetrators of the incidents usually go unpunished.

After the beating of Lazar Milentijevic, one person was arrested even though four people beat him, and the representative of the Serbs in this settlement, Mico Kragovic, tells Kosovo Online that the security is extremely bad.

"The complete situation lately, especially in the multi-ethnic environment to which we belong, is bad. A lot is happening and many factors would threaten the safety of our people. We are witnesses to what happened to Lazar Milutinovic, who was threatened just because he is a Serb. Something similar happened last night, some people gave themselves the right to use the high speed of the car, to shoot with firearms right next to the Serbian houses. This did not happen in front of the Albanian houses that are in front and behind this place. That perpetrator wanted to threaten the Serbs who live here in the center of the village," Kragovic says.

Kragovic notes that from the first day after the end of the war, he was active in talks with his Albanian neighbors to preserve peace in this village and for everyone to live in peace, next to each other.

"I invite my Albanian neighbors and my local Serbs. If we can't live with each other, then let's live next to each other, because it's a shame after 20 years that everything is now falling apart. I'm also asking all the relevant actors, namely EULEX, KFOR, and the police, to deal with the multi-ethnic Suvi Do so that it does not become a spark for eventual problems tomorrow," he says.

One of the residents of Suvi Do, Branko Radovanovic, tells Kosovo Online that he was in his house last night when the shooting was heard.

"I was in my house; I heard two shots and the acceleration of the vehicle and the screeching of tires, at first I thought it was a firecracker, but it looked more like live ammunition. After that, a neighbor came and asked me about the case and told me that shell casings were found on the road," Radovanovic said.

He points out that neighborly relation have recently been frozen, even though they were better before.

"Previously, your relations with the Albanians from Gornji Suvi Do were quite good, unlike the residents of Gusevac, but after the war, it froze quite a bit. I can't say that there are constant quarrels, but from time to time there are situations that cannot calm the relationship between us and them," Radovanovic points out.

He especially notes that out of fear, after the Serbs left the Kosovo Police, some of the thefts were not even reported.

"I know of at least two thefts that were not reported to the police because the police are not to be trusted now. Those people do not want to get involved in something that will make the situation worse for them later. This part used to belong to the Regional Directorate “North”, by the decision of Minister Svecla, the authority here was transferred to South Mitrovica, on what we did react because no one asked us. Svecla negotiated with the Albanians, but no one asked us anything," Radovanovic says.

Our interlocutors say that they are afraid and that the desire of the local population is to be tied to Serbia because there is no trust in Kosovo's institutions. It is difficult to predict what decisions will follow and what agreements will be reached, and the Serbs here see themselves as an enclave that lives only a few kilometers from North Mitrovica, surrounded by Albanian villages.