Clashes between NATO peacekeepers and demonstrators in the northern part of Kosovo injured 34 soldiers. The country unilaterally declared independence from neighboring Serbia in 2008 and the trouble flaring up now has its root cause in long strained relations between Kosovo’s minority Serb and majority Albanian population. Local elections in the troubled Serb dominated northern parts of the country have been boycotted by Serbs leading to the victory of four ethnic Albanian mayors, on a mere 4% turnout. A majority of the countries in the world recognize Kosovo’s independence but Russia and China have blocked its membership in the UN. Both Serbia and Kosovo are on paths targeting EU-membership, but the two countries most normalize ties if they want to advance towards the EU, according to AP News. After the latest clashes NATO will send 700 more troops to try to curb the violence.

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