Karen Thomas, Mitrovica, 24 June 2005

The north end of the bridge

The Berlin Wall, the Falls Road, and now the bridge over the river Ibar cuts the Mitrovica residents in two separate groups.

Kosovar-Albanians live in the south, a short three-minute walk across the bridge from the ethnic minorities of mostly Serbs living in the north.

This bridge was closed after the riots of March 2004 but the UN re-opened it to cars for two hours in the morning and evening just three weeks ago. Tensions have risen ever since.

I walk across at lunchtime with my Kosovar-Albanian companions. They stop halfway, as “It’s too dangerous for us to go any further”.

On the other side I’m warned not to film the bridge: It’s “very sensitive” for both KFOR guards and Serbs.

Fewer than 70,000 people live in Mitrovica but north and south have different languages, different currencies and different car registrations.

Cars in the north have the old ‘KM’ mark of Serbian Kosovo but the plates get changed when leaving and entering the enclave.

My return crossing when the bridge is open is very different.

Serb music belts out from a bar just metres from the bridge. Youths hang about staring at the police and KFOR soldiers who have appeared carrying guns.

No cars cross. There’s another unguarded and untroubled bridge just down river that people can use.

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