The United States and other Western allies accused Kosovo's government of escalating tensions after security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse crowds in three Serb-majority towns and enter municipal buildings in support of recently elected ethnic Albanian mayors.
Unrest on May 26 shook Zvecan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok -- similarly sized communities of 16,000 to 18,000 people where the ethnic Albanian mayors sought to enter municipal buildings and take office amid opposition from Serb-majority protesters.
Law-enforcement authorities in Zvecan said five police officers had been injured and that at least four vehicles had been damaged. There were no immediate reports of possible injuries among protesters who had gathered at town's main municipal building.
Tensions rose further in the evening after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic placed his country's military on high alert and ordered troops to deploy closer to the border with Kosovo.
Kosovo's Western backers -- although acknowledging that the municipalities are under Pristina’s control -- took an unusually harsh line against Kosovar authorities for the aggressive police action after previously assailing the government's decision to hold elections on April 23 after a boycott was announced by the main Serb party.
The so-called QUINT states -- United States, France, Italy, Germany, and Britain -- had previously expressed concerns about the situation in northern Kosovo, saying the April elections did not constitute a lasting political solution for the municipalities involved due to the boycott.
In a joint statement on May 26, the group condemned the Kosovar authorities’ use of force and also expressed concerns about “Serbia's decision to raise the level of readiness of its armed forces at the border with Kosovo and call all parties for maximum restraint, avoiding inflammatory rhetoric."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 26 said Kosovo’s government took the action to force access to municipal buildings against U.S. advice.
“We strongly condemn the actions by the Government of Kosovo that are escalating tensions in the north and increasing instability. We call on Prime Minister [Albin Kurti] to immediately halt these violent measures and refocus on the EU-facilitated Dialogue,” he wrote on Twitter.
Blinken urged all sides in the dispute to "refrain from any further actions that will inflame tensions and promote conflict."
In a tweet, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has been touring the region, called the police action "a provocation" and said it should end "immediately."
"Yes, these municipalities are part of Kosovo and under Pristina’s jurisdiction. These officials have the technical legal right to access these buildings. But at this exact moment, with the situation so tense in the north, it is an intentionally provocative and unnecessary step," the senator wrote.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement that the “European Union condemns in the strongest terms the clashes between Kosovo police and protesters in northern Kosovo, initiated by the attempt of newly elected mayors to enter municipal buildings.
"Everyone must take steps to reduce the tense situation and immediately restore calm. The EU will not accept any further unilateral or provocative moves and peacekeeping and security on the ground should be a priority," the statement added.
The ethnic Albanian mayors were sworn in on May 25 to lead majority Serb municipalities, replacing Serb mayors who had resigned last November to protest a cross-border dispute over vehicle registrations.
The subsequent election to replace the mayors was boycotted by the dominant ethnic Serb party, Srpska Lista (Serbian List), which enjoys the support of neighboring Serbia's government -- paving the way for ethnic Albanian candidates to win with tiny vote totals.
A fourth mayor was sworn in last week -- in North Mitrovica -- in a process that Vucic condemned as an “occupation” of areas of the former Serbian province. Vucic has vowed never to recognize Kosovar independence.
Participation in the April elections was 3.47 percent of the total number of registered voters.
The Serb minority accounts for 5 percent of Kosovo's 1.8 million population, which is 90 percent Albanian. But they hold majorities in regions near the Serbian border.
A statement by Kosovo’s Interior Ministry defended the police action and said that all three mayors “have settled in their offices in the municipal facilities.”
"They will continue their mandate by being at the service of all citizens without distinction," it said.
Kosovar authorities on May 26 blamed Serbia's "criminal and illegal structures" for the unrest in the region.
"Violence will not prevail. Serbia bears full responsibility for the escalation," tweeted Blerim Vela, chief of staff to President Vjosa Osmani.
Vehicles and helicopters from the NATO-led KFOR mission for Kosovo were seen in Zvecan and Leposavic.