Clashes in the city of Kumanovo in Macedonia between the Albanian separatists and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Macedonia took place on May 9-10, 2015 in the north of the country in the city of Kumanovo , a third of the population of which are ethnic Albanians.
| Anti-terrorist operation in Kumanovo | |||
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| Main Conflict: Ethnic Clashes in Macedonia | |||
| date | May 9-10, 2015 | ||
| A place |  Republic of Macedonia , Kumanovo | ||
| Total | some of the militants were detained, | ||
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| Forces of the parties | |||
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| Losses | |||
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Event
The events were preceded by anti-government demonstrations in the capital and numerous actions by Albanian activists [1] . According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Macedonia, a group of Albanian rebels illegally entered the territory of an unnamed neighboring country [2] . After that, with the help of their supporters, the rebels hid in the city of Kumanovo in early May [3] in the area of Divo Selishche. Activists were preparing a series of attacks on government buildings, events, and civilians. During the special operation, a car was cleared [4] . According to the Prime Minister, this is the most dangerous group in the Balkans related to the attack on the border crossing Goshintse a month ago (presumably, the National Liberation Army) [5] . The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Macedonia prepared an action plan and convened a headquarters to coordinate activities. The operation began on May 9 at 5 a.m. According to various sources, the militants numbered from 40 [3] to 70 people, they were armed with automatic weapons, grenades, sniper rifles and grenade launchers and offered fierce resistance to the authorities. As a result of the fighting, 14 rebels were killed, 30 surrendered [3] . The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Macedonia lost 8 people, injured about 37. One civilian was killed, several were injured [6] .
Attack Objectives
A possible cause of the attack is the discontent of the Albanians with the laws of Macedonia and the current situation in the country. Earlier, the Kosovo Self-Determination movement criticized the Prime Minister of Macedonia, Nikolai Gruevsky , calling him a "dictator."
Subsequent Posts
From the side of Serbia , 450 gendarmerie officers were sent to the Serbian-Macedonian border, and also the employees of the anti-terrorist unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia strengthened the security zone on the border with Kosovo. This is due to the fact that the police retreated from the Macedonian border [7] . Army units were put on high alert [8] .
The Pristina newspaper "Express" announced the participation of citizens of Kosovo in an unknown group, citing its own sources [9] .
Later, the Macedonian authorities said that the group was led by five Kosovo Albanians [10] , formerly members of the Kosovo Liberation Army [11] .
Among those who surrendered to the police are the majority of the citizens of Macedonia , 18 citizens of the self-proclaimed Kosovo [3] and one citizen of Albania [12] . At the same time, three of the surrendered militants are also accused by the Serbian authorities of committing crimes during the Kosovo War of 1998-1999 [13] .
Among the identified dead militants is the Kosovo politician Jafer Zimbury [14] .
The authorities of Macedonia declared a two-day national mourning [15] .
Serbian Prime Minister Alexander Vučić expressed fears that unrest could spread to other areas of the Western Balkans, he also expressed support words: “We are ready to do everything necessary to help the Macedonians overcome current problems” [16] . Aid Derguti, deputy speaker of the Kosovo parliament, spokeswoman for Self-Determination, said this morning “the Albanians in Macedonia were attacked, just as they used to when the Serbian police attacked the Albanians in Kosovo,” and threatened the Macedonian authorities: “Do not force us, so that seven million Albanians will move on you, even if we go unarmed, your state will not become ” [9] . The Russian Foreign Ministry also commented: “Moscow is concerned about the aggravation of the situation in Macedonia and calls on all political forces of the country to engage in a constructive dialogue” [17] .
Later in Skopje, representatives of NATO, the EU, the OSCE and the United States adopted a joint declaration on the incident, calling the Kumanovo incident “an isolated event” and called on the parties to the conflict for political dialogue [18] .
See also
- Conflict in Macedonia (2001)
Notes
- ↑ In the capital of Macedonia, 39 people were injured during the anti-government riots (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment May 11, 2015. Archived May 18, 2015.
- ↑ In northern Macedonia, terrorists in armored vehicles attacked the police .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 RTS :: Uhapsheni terrorist from Macedonia, Albany and sa Kosova
- ↑ Macedonian media: The number of policemen killed in Kumanovo has reached 8 people .
- ↑ Nikola Gruevsky: We destroyed one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the Balkans .
- ↑ Media: The Macedonian city of Kumanovo was attacked by militants .
- ↑ Clashes in Kumanovo: war is brewing between Macedonia and Albania .
- ↑ RTS :: The control at the Kozak base was preceded
- ↑ 1 2 The situation in Macedonia is heating up. A new war in the Balkans? (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment May 11, 2015. Archived May 12, 2015.
- ↑ Macedonia blames Kosovans for deadly Kumanovo clashes .
- ↑ Macedonia: Kosovars led the militants in Kumanovo .
- ↑ 8 policemen Became victims of terrorists in Macedonia .
- ↑ The Trinity of the Terrorist from Kumanov near Biјelј kњizi Vlad Srbiјe
- ↑ Xhafer Zymberi nga Gjakova është i vrarë në luftimet e Kumanovës? .
- ↑ The authorities of Macedonia declared national mourning because of the events in Kumanovo .
- ↑ Serbian Prime Minister: unrest in Macedonia could spread to other areas of the Western Balkans .
- ↑ The Russian Foreign Ministry calls on the political forces of Macedonia to dialogue .
- ↑ USA, NATO, and EU: Incident in Kumanovo isolated, dialogue needed
Links
- Balkan Think Tanks Convention - SETA Ankara - Google Books books.google.com.ua. Date of treatment July 26, 2016.
- Macedonia's Kumanovo Shootout Still Raising Suspicions :: Balkan Insight . balkaninsight.com. Date of treatment July 26, 2016.
- VMRO-DPMNE Labels SDSM Statement about Kumanovo Incident as Manipulation - Independent.mk . independent.mk. Date of treatment July 26, 2016.
- A year from the armed incident in Kumanovo / Independent Balkan News Agency . balkaneu.com. Date of treatment July 26, 2016.
- Macedonia profile - Timeline - BBC News . bbc.com. Date of treatment July 26, 2016.