There is a big risk of another outbreak of violence in the Balkans as tensions between Kosovo and Serbia continue to rise, a senior NATO official has warned.

US Navy Admiral Stuart B. Munsch, commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples overseeing NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo, says there could be more violence similar to that seen in the region last year.

He said: “Heated political rhetoric could inspire some non-government forces to commit violence such as what happened last year.

“I would not say that definitely conflict is coming, I think there is a persistent risk.”

Admiral Munsch was referring to scenes from September 2023 when armed men attacked the village of Banjska, northern Kosovo. Kosovo blamed Serbia for the attack, but Belgrade has denied any involvement.

A police officer and three gunmen were killed during the skirmish.

Earlier in 2023, Serb protestors injured around 90 soldiers during an attack on NATO peacekeepers.

Kosovo became an independent country in 2008, but many Serbs still believe it is the birthplace of their country. The UK is one of the nations recognising Kosovo’s statehood. 

Kosovo is 92 percent ethnically Albanian with just six percent of the country Serbs.

Serbia’s oppression of the Albanian population in the 1990s sparked a NATO bombing campaign which eventually led to Serbian forces withdrawing from Kosovo.

While Western powers such as the UK and US support Kosovo, they have accused the country’s leaders of sparking tensions in recent months.

Talks for normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia have lasted for over a decade with little to show for it.

Last month, Serbian President Alexander Vucic said he has “no relationship” with Kosovo’s leaders as talks between the Balkan countries boiled over.

This came after Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused him of “irrationality,” “desperation” and of pursuing an “aggressive campaign for new conflicts,”