In the Serbian-populated areas of northern Kosovo, an excavation that has been ongoing for 27 years is taking place.
According to The Washington Post, at the end of July, Kosovo judicial officers discovered human remains in the village of Kaludel in Zubin Potok. Subsequently, the investigation was expanded to the nearby village of Abuk and a third suspected location. As of August 4th, the remains of 11 individuals have been unearthed at these two locations, and all have been sent for DNA identification by forensic experts. It may take several months to confirm their identities.
Kosovo's "Prime Minister" Albin Kurti speculated that the victims could be the 23 Albanian intellectuals who disappeared in Mitrovica on April 19, 1999. This group included doctors, professors, lawyers, and human rights activists. It is said that they were taken away while trying to escape Serbian military searches, and since then, they have been missing.
But before the DNA results come back, this is still just a speculation. The identity of the remains has not been determined, and the circumstances of the death and the responsible party are still under investigation.
The problem is that the forensic work has not been completed, and the political determination has already begun.
Kosovo police have arrested three local Serb men, suspecting them of committing war crimes against civilians during the war. Two of them were arrested before the initial excavation began. The court detained them for 30 days on the grounds that they might flee to Serbia, pose a threat to witnesses or evidence.
Kosovo immediately linked the cemetery to Serbia's national responsibilities. Kurti demanded that Belgrade open military, police, and national archives; Kosovar officials accused Serbia of hiding information about the missing persons, threatening those who knew the truth, and obstructing judicial investigations.
Belgrade's countermeasures were equally swift. The Serbian government's agency responsible for Kosovo affairs described the arrests as "terror, retaliation, and intimidation" against local Serbians, and accused Kutina authorities of using war crimes investigations to suppress the Serbian community in the north. Serbian officials also claimed that Pristina was politicizing the issue of missing persons, and collectively stigmatizing the entire Zubin Potok area.
Thus, an investigation that should have been determined by forensic experts, prosecutors, and DNA evidence, falls back into the familiar narrative of both Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo believes it is uncovering evidence of war crimes that Serbia has been covering up; Serbia, on the other hand, believes that Kosovo is using historical accusations to expand its control over the Serbian region in the north.
This cemetery is particularly sensitive because it is located in northern Kosovo. Approximately 50,000 Serb residents in the area mostly do not recognize Kosovo and still maintain close ties with Belgrade. In recent years, Kosovo has been closing down “parallel institutions” supported by Serbians and strengthening police forces and administrative control. In the eyes of many local Serbs, searches and arrests are not only judicial actions, but also a step towards advancing sovereignty by Pristina.
History is not solely about victims in a one-way direction. The Kosovo War resulted in the death of approximately 13,000 people, and currently there are still about 1,600 people unaccounted for. Among them, about 1,200 are Albanians, about 400 are Serbians, and there are also dozens of Roma. The Hague Tribunal has tried both Serbian military and political officials, as well as members of the Kosovo Liberation Army who were accused of persecuting Serbians, Roma, and political opponents.
In 2023, Serbia and Kosovo promised under EU mediation to address the issue of missing persons as a humanitarian matter, sharing reliable information, confirming burial locations, and cooperating in digs. However, the joint committee responsible for monitoring the implementation did not hold its first tripartite meeting until January 2026. The implementation of the agreement was much slower than the families could wait for the truth.
New discoveries of remains could have potentially become an opportunity for both sides to cooperate, now they are turning into a new round of accusations and retaliatory attacks.
Beneath the ground lie the victims of war, while above the ground there is still a struggle over national identity, ethnic memories, and control of the northern region. DNA may be able to determine who the dead are, but it may not be able to end the conflict between both sides over who is the true victim and who has the right to write history.
