Kosovo raids Serbia-backed public bodies ahead of polls

Sub : IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

Kosovo authorities conducted raids on 10 municipal offices in ethnic Serb-majority areas, according to the Interior Ministry. These offices were reportedly backed by the Serbian government.
This operation is part of a broader series of efforts aimed at dismantling the “parallel system” of services and political institutions that Serbia has set up within Kosovo.

About Kosovo:

Kosovo is a small landlocked region that lies to Serbia’s southwest, sharing borders with North Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro.
Pristina is the capital of Kosovo.

Ethnic Tensions in Kosovo:

Of the 1.8 million people living in Kosovo, 92% are Albanian and only 6% Serbian.
Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians view Kosovo as belonging to them, and accuse Serbia of occupation and repression.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s statehood and still considers it to be an integral part of Serbian territory.
Countries such as India, China, and Russia do not recognise Kosovo as a separate country, while the US, the majority of EU countries, Japan and Australia do so.