Kumanovo clashes

Kumanovo clashes

Macedonian Police during the clashes.
Date910 May 2015
LocationKumanovo, Republic of Macedonia
Result 18 deaths, 28 arrests[1][2]
Belligerents
Macedonian Police Armed group
(claiming to be the NLA)[3][4]
Commanders and leaders
Gordana Jankuloska
PM Nikola Gruevski
Pres. Gjorge Ivanov
Mirsad Ndrecaj [5][6]
Muhamed Krasniqi[6][7]
Sami Ukshini[6][7]
Beg Rizaj [5][6]
Demë Shehu[6][7]
Units involved
"Tigers" Special Operations Unit
Rapid Deployment Unit
Unknown
Strength
Unknown 40[8]
Casualties and losses
8 killed,[B]
37 wounded[9]
10 killed,[9][10][11][12][13]
28 captured[13][14]
18 killed in total[15][16]
Location of Kumanovo in the Republic of Macedonia

A shootout which erupted during a police raid between police forces and an armed group identifying as the National Liberation Army (NLA) occurred on 9 May 2015 in the northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo.[17][18] During the shootings, eight Macedonian policemen and 10 of the militants were killed, while 37 officers were wounded and hospitalized.[19] The shooting ended on 10 May 2015, in an operation by the Macedonian police and armed forces, in which 28 men were arrested and charged with "terrorism-related charges" by the Macedonian authorities.[20]

Prelude

The event took place during a deep political crisis in Macedonia, dating back to the 2014 general elections. The main opposition party, Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, has been making allegations on electoral fraud, denounced the conservative VMRO-DPMNE's party victory and has boycotted the Macedonian Assembly since.[21] Since early 2015, the Social Democratic leader, Zoran Zaev, has escalated the political crisis in the country by planning an alleged "coup d'état" through a massive wire-tapping scandal.[22] Zaev started releasing the so-called information "bombs," a series of wire-tapped conversations between the conservative government officials, most of them including Macedonia's prime minister Nikola Gruevski.[22] In doing so, he has made allegations that Gruevski has ordered the wire-tapping of some 20,000 Macedonian citizens and having control over the court system in Macedonia.[23]

In October 2014, the building of the Macedonian Government was attacked by two projectiles likely to have been fired from an RPG launcher.[24] Around one week after the attack, a letter arrived at the Macedonian Albanian-language television station Alsat-M signed by a group claiming ties with the dissolved NLA taking responsibility for the attack.[17] The NLA was also the main player in the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia. The document said that the Macedonian government is running a pro-Russian ideology, and that the NLA demands Macedonia join the European Union and NATO by all means.[25]

According to Macedonian police reports, on 21 April 2015, a police watchtower at the border between Macedonia and the disputed territory of Kosovo, in the mountain village of Gošince, was attacked by 40 heavily armed men wearing uniforms and claiming to be the NLA.[26]

On 3 May 2015, the headquarters of the largest ethnic Albanian party in Macedonia, the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), was attacked with a hand grenade.[27] There were no casualties, and no suspects.[28] It was suspected that the attack was due to rising criticism of the DUI party among ethnic Albanians due to alleged close ties with the governing conservative party.[29]

The opposition accused the government of allegedly trying to cover-up the death of a man in 2011 and a journalist in 2013, which was followed-up by violent protests against alleged police brutality on 5 May 2015.[30] Officials said that 38 policemen were injured.[31]

Event

Macedonian Police helping civilians during the attack in Kumanovo.

Macedonian media released claims of inhabitants of Zajaz in Kumanovo that they saw around 50 armed men in the early morning.[32] A large community of ethnic Albanians live in the region.[33] The government issued a statement that the armed group numbered 50–70,[32] and the armed men hid in private homes in the Diva hamlet.[32] The armed group used automatic rifles, sniper rifles, and grenades against the police, and were said by officials to be well-trained.[34] The Macedonian police had 3 deaths and 12 policemen were wounded in the morning,[32] while unofficial sources claim over 20 wounded police.[34][35] The inhabitants in the area were evacuated by Macedonian police during the day.[34] Serbian media reported that a large number of Albanians from Kumanovo crossed the border into Serbia.[36] During the clashes, the OSCE Mission to Skopje representatives were in contact with members of the armed group and representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On 14 May, US Ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel B. Baer thanked the OSCE Mission to Skopje for its "constructive role in facilitating a ceasefire".[37]

Around 18:00 CET, the Macedonian media reported that the fighting had stopped, with 27 of the militants having surrendered.[36] However, after most of them surrendered in the evening,[38][39] there was still sporadic shooting.[40] Macedonian investigators identified the militants as Macedonian and Kosovan nationals, and that they had the intention to attack government institutions and buildings.[41] According to Albanian media NLA claims responsibility.[42] By 10 May, the Macedonian police confirmed that the armed group had been neutralised.[2] Eight policemen were killed.[B].

Aftermath

After the attack, Macedonian prosecutors charged 30 militants with terrorism.[43] Authorities said that 18 of the suspects were ethnic Albanian illegal immigrants from the Republic of Kosovo.[A][43] The Macedonian Interior Ministry stated that eight police officers and 14 gunmen were killed in the operation, while 37 officers were wounded.[3] On 10 May 2015, the President of the Republic of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov called an emergency meeting of the country's National Security Council where the leadership of the Macedonian Army, police, and political leaders from governing and opposition parties met in the presidential palace to discuss the events.[44] After the meeting, the President stated that "police have prevented coordinated terrorist attacks at different locations in the country that would cause serious destabilization, chaos and fear," adding that the authorities were aware of the armed group's activities since "early 2015."[45] The Macedonian government declared two national days of mourning after the attacks for the police officers that lost their lives during the attack.[46]

Official statements

Macedonian President Ǵorge Ivanov said the reason for the conflict was due to Macedonia being left "outside of EU integration."[47]

In his speech, the Macedonian prime minister Gruevski, praised the police operation calling it a "highly professional, heroic and patriotic action,"[48] adding that the "group planned to attack sports events, shopping malls, as well as state-run institutions."[48] He also hailed the eight Macedonian policemen that died during the raid, but also claimed that "their courage may have prevented the killing of some other 8,000 people."[48][49] Gruevski, during his televised address, said "this is not a Macedonian-Albanian conflict, but a conflict between people who mean no good to the state and people who uphold the state."[50]

President Ivanov said that the Macedonian authorities were aware of the presence of the terrorist group within the country since the beginning of 2015.[45] During his speech at the National Security Council he added that he had informed representatives from the European Union and NATO about the existence of the militant group, without "much results" from the organisations.[47] He also stated that "at the meeting of the National Security Council, which was attended by representatives of the opposition, the attack on the security of the country, whose aim was to destabilise Macedonia, was condemned in the strongest terms," pointing out that "it is high time that those conversations intensified" on the matter of Macedonia joining the European Union and NATO.[47]

International reaction

See also

Annotations

  1. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has been recognised as an independent state by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.
  2. ^ The eight policemen killed were: Boban Ivanoviḱ (1968, from Stajkovci); Goran Ilijevski (1974, from Gostivar); Goran Stojmenoviḱ (1970, from Miladinovci); Žarko Kuzmanovski (1981, from Brvenica); Isamedin Osmani (1983, from Studeničani); Ljubiša Arangeloviḱ (1966, from Skopje); Nenad Serafimovski (1987, from Zubovce); Sašo Samojlovski (1982, from Brvenica).[65]

References

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