Post-Conflict Accompaniment in Kosovo

This spring I spent about 10 days in Kosovo learning about the Operation Dove accompaniment project there. Operation Dove (OD) is an Italian group with a mission similar to CPT.

The situation in Kosovo is complicated and I'm not sure that during our short time there we came away with a complete understanding. The region is functioning under a fragile peace agreement with the UN in charge. "UNMIK" is slowly handing over governance to local authorities, but they are probably at least a year away from handing over power completely. The population consists of 80% Albanians, 10% Serbs, and 10% others. Many Serbs fled to Serbia after the NATObombing, which is why their numbers are so low. Both Albanians and Serbs believethe land of Kosovo is rightfully theirs, and both point to history to back them up. Albanians are mostly Muslim and Serbs are mostly Serbian Orthodox.

Most Serbians live completely separately from Albanians, in enclaves or villages away from Albanian population centers. Serbian enclaves are surrounded by UN military checkpoints to prevent random violence. Operaton Dove says that although there does not appear to be any organized violence on either side right now, there is a high danger of random violence, especially of Albanians against Serbs. Serbs are generally fearful to travel unescorted out of their enclaves.

Operation Dove has been working in the region since 1999. They are currently living in a Serbian village called Gorazhdovats. The mission of the team consists of accompanying Serbs when they have to travel outside of the village and cannot get official accompaniment, as well as developing relationships inside the community, and faciliating two groups of young adults, one Serbian and one Albanian, in order to sow the seeds of reconciliation.

UN troops will provide accompaniment if there is an urgent need and there is 72 hours notice. Many Serbs need to travel and cannot give the required notice, and OD spends a good deal of time transporting people and shopping for them. Gorazhdovats has a few small shops, but any real needs have to be met in the nearest city, which is Albanian. Serbs feel they cannot go there unaccompanied.

Starting about a year ago, OD and their partner organization decided to form two small groups, one Serb and one Albanian, to work on analyzing the effects the conflict has had on them and on society, to see what they could do about it. The idea is to eventually join together as one group, working together for peaceful solutions. The project has many phases, and they are now still in the early one, talking about the trauma of the conflict and the effect it has had on them. They recently identified issues of injustice, and each group chose one specifica justice issue to try to think of solutions. Interestingly, both groups chose the same issue: freedom of movement.

The Kosovo accompaniment is a "post-conflict" presence because there is a peaceagree ment and the shooting has more or less stopped. The violence is random, not organized, but could still explode at any time. OD is focusing on how to help the Serbs maintain a dignified life, and on how to sow some seeds to prevent future outbreaks of violence.