The acting Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, announced that the first steps have been taken towards the establishment of the Kosovo Gendarmerie. Security experts see the establishment of such a security structure as a strategic decision, which could have competences in guarding the border with Serbia. Sveçla wrote on social networks that he has signed the establishment of the working group, which, according to him, will analyze and propose modalities for the functioning of the Gendarmerie, as an Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “The Gendarmerie represents an important step in the consolidation of our security architecture, with a clear mission to guarantee a strong state presence in the function of preserving our borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty, protection from terrorism, management of high-risk riots and protection of critical infrastructure,” he wrote on Facebook. According to Sveçla, the creation of the Gendarmerie will strengthen state capacities to prevent, manage and neutralize threats “that threaten the security of citizens and the territorial integrity of our country.”
Serbia reacted to Kosovo’s decision, saying it was being done “to score political points” by Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, for the June elections. According to the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, “there is no basis or space” for Kurti to form “any paramilitary or parapolice units outside of existing agreements, much less to deploy them in areas in northern Kosovo.” “KFOR is the only legitimate armed force in Kosovo, responsible for controlling and patrolling along the administrative line, and Kurti knows this very well and cannot change the reality with images and promises in the election campaign,” the statement added.
THE GENDARMARY WOULD BE ABLE TO GUARD THE BORDER WITH SERBIA
The Director of the Kosovo Center for Security Studies (KCSS), Mentor Vrajolli, considers the initiative to establish the Kosovo Gendarmerie as a strategic decision, which according to him could take on the responsibility for guarding the border with Serbia, but also for other actions in the north inhabited by a Serb majority. Speaking to Radio Free Europe, Vrajolli says that Kosovo must prepare for any change in the role of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, although he believes that this mission will remain in the country for years or even a decade. In this regard, he recalls that the state and KFOR have an agreement that the Kosovo Security Force – which is in the process of being transformed into an army – will not go to the north without the consent of the peacekeeping mission, saying that the Gendarmerie could fill this gap. “While there is a gentleman’s agreement between KFOR and the KSF not to be too present in the northern part, the Gendarmerie would create a new structure, which is not part of this gentleman’s agreement,” he says. “In some form, it would enable the roles of border control and other actions that KFOR performs to be shared with units that could be within the Police, or within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and that would begin as soon as possible the process of creating local capacities and knowledge on how to deal with threats jointly with KFOR in the north and other parts of Kosovo,” Vrajolli says.
The deployment of the KSF to the north of the country is only possible with the prior consent of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, based on the 2013 commitment by the Government of Kosovo to NATO.
Radio Free Europe has requested a comment from KFOR regarding the announcement of the establishment of the Gendarmerie and how the mission views this decision, and is awaiting a response. KFOR, which was deployed in the country in 1999, is the third security responder in Kosovo, after the Kosovo Police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission, EULEX. However, the NATO mission has security responsibility along Kosovo’s border with Serbia. Vrajolli says that although the role that the Gendarmerie will have is not yet known, he estimates that if it will be as a branch of the Kosovo Police, then it would be expected that the competencies of the Border Police would be transferred to this new structure, especially considering that KFOR continues to guard part of the border line. Vrajolli believes that Kosovo does not need to have a gendarmerie that would deal with internal incidents, as he estimates that the Kosovo Police is capable of dealing with them. “The very fact that the border line is protected by KFOR, KFOR has expanded responsibilities in this area and we need to create our own institutions that are ready to replace KFOR whenever KFOR is not there,” says Vrajolli, adding that he believes that this mission will have a mandate for years or decades in Kosovo.
According to him, any failure on the part of Kosovo, whenever KFOR leaves the country “could be fatal for Kosovo’s sovereignty itself and even existential threats to Kosovo’s security.” “I think it is a strategic decision and contributes to strengthening order and security in Kosovo,” he assesses.
Meanwhile, there have been recent rumors of a reduction or withdrawal of American troops from Europe, while in Germany, the Pentagon has announced the withdrawal of some troops. However, Washington has not announced any possible withdrawal from KFOR. Vrajolli also believes that an American withdrawal from Europe is a matter of a decade, but estimates that Kosovo must prepare to take its own security into its own hands. He says that this decision by Kosovo to create a new security structure was made public at a time when the West is divided. “Furthermore, there is a tendency from the US to leave Europe’s problems in its own hands and for us it is extremely important to prepare for any scenario that may follow as a result of this approach. I think there is no risk that American troops will withdraw very soon, even in Germany only a certain number withdrew. I think that the withdrawal of American troops is a matter of a decade. I think that we must make sure that we are ready for security needs,” he says.
Vrajolli says that Serbia – which does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and considers it part of it – is the main security threat, adding that the previous belief that the conflict with Belgrade is a thing of the past was wrong. “Now, with the incident in Banjska, we saw that it is not a thing of the past. What is stated in the Serbian Constitution or Serbia’s strategy documents should not be ignored, Serbia constitutes a direct threat to our security and military, even among other security structures. We must be capable, whether within the KSF, the Police and the Gendarmerie, to deal with all risks, whether direct, traditional or hybrid, which will most likely be hybrid like the Banjska case,” he says. Kosovo considers the attack on the Kosovo Police in Banjska, Zvecan, in September 2023, when a group of armed Serbs killed a Kosovo police officer, to be terrorist. Pristina has blamed Belgrade for this attack, but it has denied any involvement in it.
GENDARMERIES OF OTHER COUNTRIES
The gendarmerie is a military-style security force that performs police duties. In some countries, it may be part of the Ministry of Interior, in others part of the armed forces. Many countries have their own gendarmerie, including Kosovo’s northern neighbor, Serbia, whose gendarmerie operates within the police. Other countries also have gendarmerie, such as France, a NATO member state. For example, the French Gendarmerie is a military force tasked with upholding the rule of law, has full jurisdiction over the civilian population, and is responsible for public safety and public order, and interacts with police and military forces at home and abroad. It plays a role in crisis management and participates in both peacekeeping missions abroad and combat operations. In NATO, gendarmerie-type forces are mentioned within what is known as stability police. (RFE)