Serb enclaves in Kosovo

Ethnic composition of Kosovo in 2005 according to the OSCE showing Serb-populated parts of Kosovo

Kosovo Serb Enclaves are the areas of Kosovo^[a] where Serbs form a majority, except for North Kosovo. While North Kosovo is connected to the rest of Serbia and mostly functions as a part of it, the enclaves are surrounded with areas of Albanian majority. In most of the enclaves, the freedom of movement for Serbs is limited only to the area of the particular enclave, while traveling outside is possible only with a police escort.

Prior to the 1999 Kosovo War, there were many more Serbs living in the territory of Kosovo. Many of them left in 1999, and many more left during the 2004 unrest when many Serb villages were completely destroyed. The current Serb enclaves are just a small part of those areas that where a Serb majority existed before 1999.

History

According to the 1991 census in Yugoslavia, there were five municipalities with Serb majority in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Those were:Leposavić, Zvečan, Zubin Potok, Štrpce and Novo Brdo. There was also one municipality with Gorani majority (Gora municipality), while all the remaining municipalities had Albanian majority. Other significant ethnic minority in Kosovo were Muslims by nationality (today mostly identify as Bosniaks) who did not form majority in any of the municipalities.

In 1999, after the end of the Kosovo War, more than 250.000 Serbs and other minorities left Kosovo in less than a month. Only about 3.000 of them have returned since. 312 of 437 towns and villages in which Serbs lived were completely ethnically cleaned. In the ensuing violence, more than 1.000 Serbs were killed, while 841 were kidnapped and 960 wounded.

Between 2000 and 2008, the UNMIK administration created eight new municipalities on the territory of Kosovo. Three of those new municipalities have ethnic Serb majority: Gračanica, Klokot-Vrbovac and Ranilug. This move is not recognized by the Government of Serbia. In 2008, the Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija was created to coordinate the efforts of the Serbian minority in Kosovo.

Enclaves

This is the list of municipalities, towns and villages in which Serbs form a majority. The municipalities listed are the municipalities recognized by Serbia, not the new municipalities of Kosovo.

Municipalities

• Štrpce
• Novo Brdo

Towns and Villages

• Vučitrn municipality: Gojbulja, Panjetina, Prilužje (more than 3.000 Serbs), Grace
• City of Pristina: Plemetina, Gračanica
• Lipjan municipality: Dobrotin, Livađe, Donja Gušterica, Gornja Gušterica, Suvi Do, Staro Gracko, Novo Naselje
• Kosovo Polje municipality: Batuse
• Gnjilane municipality: Šilovo, Pasjane, Parteš, Koretište, Donja Budriga, Stanišor, Kusce, Straža, Kmetovce, Poneš
• Peć municipality: Goraždevac
• Istok municipality: Osojane, Crkolez
• Orahovac municipality: Velika Hoča (1200 Serbs), Orahovac (1100 Serbs)
• Srbica municipality: Banja, Suvo Grlo
• Kosovska Kamenica municipality: Ranilug, Ropotovo, Donje Korminjane
• Vitina municipality: Klokot, Vrbovac, Trpeza, Požaranje, Novo Selo, Žitinje
• Novo Brdo municipality: Prekovce
• Klina municipality: Vidanje

In Peć, Serbs compose a majority in a part of Belo Polje, and also in some parts of Orahovac and Lipljan. Smaller Serbian communities are also present in Prizren,Gnjilane and Obilić.

See also

• Serbs in Kosovo
• Kosovo war

Notes and references

Notes

a.	^ Template:Kosovo-note

References

External links

Serbian language media in enclaves

• RadioKiM
• Klokot radio
• Radio Kontaktplus North Kosovska Mitrovica