Politics to the fore.

 Source: ©Paul Sudnik - 24th March 2010

Tensions in the divided city of Mitrovica run at around medium to high most of the time - but are not always evident as one goes about one's day to day business.  Indeed, for most of the period that I have been here (5 months at the time of writing) "you wouldn't know if you didn't know" how bad things have been in the past.

However, last week there was a major rally in the North (Serbian) part of the town against the so called integration strategy which the Prishtina government is apparently going to try to implement, against the will of the Serbian community, but with the support of the International Civilian Office (whose purpose is to provide international support for a European future for Kosovo).

As ever, things are complicated and almost illegible for the uninitiated (which includes me for the most part, I must say) but on the principle that a picture tells a thousand words, I thought that some illustrations of what was for the most part a peaceful rally might give a flavour of the Mitrovica environment in which the International Business College Mitrovica is developing.

 Source: ©Paul Sudnik - 24th March 2010

After arriving at the main road junction that passes for the main square in the North of Mitrovica (the original, and truly, main square being to the south of the river Ibar that divides Mitrovica) the marchers gathered round a tribune for some powerful speeches that denounced not only the integration plan but also the eleven week long Nato bombing of Serbia in 1999, which the BBC confirms was the largest military operation ever undertaken by NATO and the first time it had used force agains a sovereign state without UN approval.  I will admit that although I felt safe at the rally I did not feel entirely welcome and was quite happy when the demonstrators finally moved off again to complete their protest.

Source: ©Paul Sudnik - 24th March 2010

As far as the future of the integration plan for Mitrovica is concerned - we shall see, but it might be worth recalling the bombing that, eleven years later, is clearly still a festering sore in the psychy of many Serbs.

Source: Google Image Search "Bombing of Serbia" - 29th March 2010