The central bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica, which divides the city along ethnic lines, has once again become a focal point of tension between Kosovo and Serbia. Pristina's determination to reopen the bridge to road traffic, despite significant international opposition, is threatening to escalate the long-standing conflict and strain Kosovo’s relations with key Western allies, including the EU, NATO and the US.

This bridge connects South Mitrovica, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, with North Mitrovica, where Serbs constitute the majority. Over the years, the bridge has come to symbolise the deep ethnic divisions in the region, particularly since the breakup of Yugoslavia and the brutal repression of Kosovo Albanians under Slobodan Milosevic's regime in the 1990s.

Today, around 70,000 people, primarily Kosovo Albanians, live in the southern part of Mitrovica, while the northern part is home to approximately 20,000 Serbs. This demographic split mirrors the broader ethnic tensions that have persisted since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move that Serbia has never recognised. 

The bridge’s reopening has been met with strong opposition from the Serb population in the north, who view the bridge as a crucial line of defence against what they perceive as potential ethnic cleansing and further marginalisation within the state of Kosovo.

Pristina’s announcement earlier this year that it plans to reopen the bridge has sparked protests among the Serb community. In May, the Serb List, the main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo, condemned the move as "unnecessary, unacceptable, and escalatory”, accusing the Kosovan authorities of deliberately destabilising the already fragile situation on the ground. 

Tensions escalated on August 14, as hundreds of Serbs gathered near the bridge to protest its reopening, reiterating their belief that the bridge serves as a vital barrier against further ethnic division and conflict.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has defended the decision to reopen the bridge, arguing that it is part of normalising relations within the divided city. "For too long, the Mitrovica Bridge over the Ibar has kept us at a distance. It has been unfairly given the epithet of separation and abnormal relations. Bridges unite us, and together let's make it a symbol of normalisation," Kurti wrote on Facebook. His rhetoric, however, has done little to alleviate the concerns of the Serb community, who see the move as a direct threat to their security and autonomy.

Historically, the Ibar Bridge has been more than just a crossing point; it has been a military checkpoint and a de facto boundary between the ethnic Serbian north Kosovo and the rest of Kosovo, which is predominantly Albanian. Although the military checkpoint was removed years ago, the bridge remains patrolled by international peacekeepers. It has been closed to cars since 2011 when ethnic Serbs erected barricades to prevent access.

The bridge got its current appearance shortly after the war in Kosovo, with the French government funding structural improvements and more cosmetic additions in 2001. It remains a potent symbol of the division within Mitrovica, where it has been dubbed the "journalists' bridge" for its frequent use in reports on the city’s ethnic tensions.

North of the bridge, the Serbian identity is prominently displayed, with Serbian flags lining the streets. Murals proclaiming nationalist messages such as "this country is worth dying for" and "Kosovo is Serbia — Crimea is Russia” reflect the nationalistic sentiments that continue to fuel the conflict between Serbs and Albanians in the region.

Still, residents cross the Ibar to work, shop and do business. While the Ibar Bridge is closed to traffic, not far away is another crossing bridge, free of barricades and not guarded by international forces, where cars and pedestrians cross unimpeded between the north and south.

The decision to reopen the bridge Ibar Bridge to road traffic has, however, brought the underlying tensions in the city to the forefront once again. For years, the idea of reopening the bridge has been intermittently proposed, only to be abandoned due to fears of exacerbating tensions.

In 2015, EU-mediated talks between Serbia and Kosovo touched upon the issue of the bridge, culminating in a 2016 agreement that proposed reopening the bridge to traffic by January 2017. However, this agreement was never implemented, reflecting the persistent challenges in achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict. Kurti referenced this agreement in his recent comments, asserting that the matter was settled during the Brussels discussions in 2016 and 2017 and that it now falls under the jurisdiction of Kosovo’s institutions.

Kurti’s stance has drawn sharp criticism from Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, who has expressed concerns that the reopening of the bridge could lead to violence. Vucic warned that the bridge might be "violently opened" in mid-August. 

Mitrovica, despite its proximity to Pristina, just 40 kilometres away, is viewed as a divided and volatile city. Yet, life in the city continues, with

The planned reopening of the Ibar Bridge comes at a time when tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have been particularly high. 

In 2023, there were promising signs of progress towards normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo, with agreements reached during talks in Ohrid, North Macedonia. However, these agreements were never signed, and the situation has since deteriorated. 

In May 2023, protests erupted in the majority-Serb municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavic, triggered by the installation of ethnic Albanian mayors in areas where the Serb population boycotted the elections. The protests escalated into violent clashes with Kosovan security forces and international peacekeepers, resulting in numerous injuries.

The situation further deteriorated in September 2023, with a serious incident in Banjska village where an armed group killed a Kosovan border guard and engaged in a firefight with security forces, leading to the deaths of several militants. Kurti claimed that the attack was part of a broader plan to annex northern Kosovo. 

For their part, Serbs in northern Kosovo have increasingly expressed concerns about their safety and future under Kurti’s administration, with many considering moving to Serbia. The Serb community is particularly frustrated by the lack of progress in establishing the Association of Serb Municipalities (ASM), a key provision of the Brussels Agreement that they believe would protect their rights and autonomy within Kosovo. 

On the other hand, Kosovo Albanians fear that the creation of the ASM would lead to the formation of a Serb sub-state within Kosovo, similar to Bosnia’s Republika Srpska, which has long been a source of instability in the region.

Tensions were further exacerbated when Kosovo’s central bank banned the use of the Serbian dinar in early 2024, disrupting the financial networks that Serbia used to maintain parallel institutions in northern Kosovo. The closure of Serbian bank branches and post offices in Kosovo has been met with harsh criticism from Serbia, the EU and the US, who view these actions as provocative and unilateral.

The international community, particularly the EU and the US, has voiced concerns over Pristina’s recent actions. The EU has warned Kosovo against unilateral moves, stressing the need for decisions to be made within the framework of the EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Nato’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, has also reiterated this stance, cautioning against reopening the Ibar Bridge outside of this dialogue process.

President Vjosa Osmani indicated on August 15 that Pristina will listen to warnings from the US, but said there was no need to consult either Serbia or the EU on the matter. 

Despite the tense situation in Mitrovica, Kosovan officials appear determined to open the bridge. The international community continues to urge caution, warning that any misstep could lead to a dangerous escalation in a region that has long been a powder keg of ethnic and political tensions. The bridge, long a symbol of division, now risks being at the centre of a new conflict.