Ethnic tensions dominate life in divided Kosovan city, decades after war

A drone view shows the main bridge of the ethnically divided town, in Mitrovica, Kosovo September 23, 2024. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj

MITROVICA, Kosovo (Reuters) - Since a new cafe called Missini Sweets opened this month in North Mitrovica, Kosovo, a smattering of guests have enjoyed its drinks and sweets. But the business has faced headwinds: it is run by ethnic Albanians and local ethnic Serbs refuse to enter.

A video posted in August on a Telegram channel popular with Serbs, viewed thousands of times, called for the cafe to be boycotted once open because it is in a Serb-dominated part of the city. An Albanian-run supermarket nearby, also highlighted in the video, has had similar treatment, a worker there said.