Two years since the election of Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo, citizens of North Mitrovica still without trust

It has been two years since Albanian mayors were installed in the northern part of Kosovo, in municipalities with a Serb majority population. Their election, which the Serbian community boycotted, sparked tensions from the very beginning and led to deep mistrust among the citizens. Today, two years later, residents of North Mitrovica say that almost nothing has changed – except that, as they say, life has become even harder.

“We all know they illegally got the position of mayor, and nothing has improved. People are being arrested and harassed. I’m an old Mitrovica resident who tells the truth, and whether the truth will reach them, and whether they’ll change their tune... We are all living beings, we were all born here, our roots go back 400–500 years, and when our children go out, they are not safe. My grandson was fined 500 euros for listening to music in his car. That doesn’t happen anywhere else, only here,” one resident says.

He adds that while there have been small things done in favor of citizens, those are negligible compared to the overall sense of insecurity and pressure.

“When we go outside, we fear someone might say ‘there goes a war criminal.’ That fear has entered people, and when we think about it more deeply, they haven’t done what they are supposed to do,” he said.

His fellow citizens, especially women, also express dissatisfaction with the leadership in the four municipalities.

“I don’t know what to say, hopefully things will get better. We are not satisfied, there is nothing for us. We pensioners are being forced to travel to Raska to get our pensions,” one pensioner said.

Lacking optimism or trust in the authorities, another woman remains indifferent to the political representatives of North Mitrovica municipality.

“There is nothing to think about – they haven’t done anything, nor will they. It will all stay the same, as usual. Just like the last ones, and the next ones, it will all be the same,” she concluded.