On the morning of October 18, the border crossing at Jarinje between Kosovo and Serbia was fully reopened, marking the end of a month-long closure.
Veton Elshani, the Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, confirmed the reopening of this border crossing, which took place at 08:30 on a Wednesday.
Both the Jarinje and Bërnjak border crossings, situated in the predominantly Serbian-inhabited northern region of Kosovo, had been shut down by Kosovo authorities on September 24. This move came in response to an armed attack on Kosovo Police, which was officially labeled a terrorist act by Pristina authorities.
Bërnjak reopened for both entry and exit on October 4, while Jarinje had only allowed outgoing traffic until now.
The Kosovo authorities held Serbia responsible for the September 24 attack on Kosovo Police in Banjska, Zvecan. During this assault by an armed group of Serbs, a soldier named Afrim Bunjaku lost his life in the line of duty, and three attackers were killed during the confrontations.
The organization and leadership of this attack were attributed to Milan Radojičić, the former Deputy Chairman of the Serb List, which is the principal political party representing Serbs in Kosovo and enjoys official support from Belgrade.
The United States and the European Union strongly condemned the attack, and Kosovo, through a resolution passed in its Assembly, called for an international investigation into Serbia’s involvement in the Banjska attack.
Kosovo has urged the European Union to impose punitive measures on Serbia, while European officials have stated that they are awaiting the conclusion of investigations before determining potential measures and next steps.
