Serbia vs. UCK

1999 - ongoing by 2011

Core issue: Kosovo declared its independence in 2008 against the claim of Serbia
to maintain its territorial integrity. Ethnic tensions remain until 2011

Type of conflict ending: Conflict ongoing by 2011

The autonomous province of Kosovo within the former Yugoslavia, populated by an Albanian majority, demanded independence soon after the death of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. Ibrahim Rugova, leader
of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo, who advocated separatism by peaceful means, was, however, pressured by the UCK (Ushtria Clirimtare ë Kosovës/the Kosovo Liberation Army) to reverse his course.
The UCK demanded that Kosovo become an independent state, which was incompatible with the long-existing Serbian claim that Kosovo was their ancestral homeland and that giving up this territory would
be a threat to Serbian national interests and a violation of Serbian territorial integrity. This incompatibility of demands led to armed clashes in 1998 and an air intervention by NATO forces in 1999. A ceasefire was agreed upon but the status of Kosovo was not resolved. While the USA and some members of the EU recognize Kosovar independence, Russia and other countries consider it a part of Serbian sovereign territory.

The official war over Kosovo lasted less than two years and claimed the lives of 13,548 civilians and combatants. It forced hundreds of people to leave their homes and caused numerous humanitarian problems. The starting point of the war in Kosovo is considered to be February 28, 1998, when the UCK officially announced that they were starting a war for the independence of the province. The conflict escalated into an international one, when NATO member countries attempted to influence Belgrade
to end the war. Western countries lobbied for the approval of the autonomous status of Kosovo and
the immediate withdrawal of Serbian troops from the province. Russia supported the position of Belgrade - the territorial integrity of the country within the established borders. Belgrade refused an armistice on such terms, and in March NATO aircraft began bombing Serbian territory. It ended only in June, after Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic agreed to withdraw military units from the territory of Kosovo.

On June 11, International Peacekeeping Forces were introduced on the disputed territory, and missions implemented by UN and NATO entered Kosovo. In September, the UCK officially ceased to exist and was transformed into the Kosovo Protection Corps, which agreed to support a NATO mission in the region. Until February 2008, when Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, the province was administered by UNMIK (the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo). UNMIK legally existed by 2011, however its day-to-day functions were relatively minor since the declaration of independence. In 2011, Pristina and Belgrade launched the Brussels Dialogue under the auspices of the EU, which slowly moved from negotiating technical questions to political objectives. Although negotiations brought success in technical issues, the core issue of the conflict - the status of Kosovo, remains unresolved. Ethnic contradictions in Kosovo, disunity and mutual hostility between the Serbian and Albanian populations, continue to contribute to the explosive situation there.

Sources

Buckley, M. and S. Cummings, 2001. Kosovo: Perceptions of War and Its Aftermath

Cabell, B., 1999. "Serb war criminals seize north Kosovo", Independent, 15 August. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/serb-war-criminals-seize-north-kosovo-1112934.html, Accessed 9 August 2019.

Development Group, 2012. "The Kosovo - Serbia Dialogue: Close to the EU, Far from the Citizens", http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kosovo/09785.pdf. Accessed 9 August 2019.

"First Agreement of Principles Governing Normalization of Relations", 2015.

Herring, E., 2000. "From Rambouillet to the Kosovo accords: NATO'S war against Serbia and its aftermath", The International Journal of Human Rights 4, no.3-4: 224-245.

"Kosovo killings: Belgrade's official version of events", 1998. BBC News, 12 March

Krieger, H., 2001. The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974-1999, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

"Milosevic Indictment", 2001. BBC News, 29 October. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/354561.stm, Accessed 9 August 2019.

Peric Zimojnic, V., 1998. "Milosevic And Rugova Levered Into Talks." Inter Press Service, 13 May. http://www.ipsnews.net/1998/05/politics-kosovo-milosevic-and-rugova-levered-into-talks/. Accessed 9 August 2019.

Sarkees, Meredith Reid and Frank Wayman, 2010. Resort to War: 1816 ? 2007, Washington, DC: CQ Press.

"UCDP - Uppsala Conflict Data Program: Serbia (Yugoslavia): Kosovo", 2019. Accessed 8 August 2019 < https://ucdp.uu.se/#conflict/412>