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An essential channel for two thermal power plants in Kosovo was damaged on Friday, November 29, by an explosion which threatened the country's energy supply, an act attributed by the head of the Kosovar government to neighboring Serbia.

“This is a criminal and terrorist attack aimed at destroying our critical infrastructure”declared Albin Kurti during a press conference called late in the evening. “The attack was carried out by professionals. We believe it comes from Serbian-led gangs”he added.

The explosion of the canal, which supplies water to two coal-fired power plants for their cooling systems, representing Kosovo's main source of electricity, occurred near the town of Zubin Potok in the north of the country. If the damage is not repaired, part of Kosovo risks being deprived of electricity from Saturday morning, explained the Prime Minister.

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The latter did not give details on the extent of the damage suffered by the canal, which connects northern Kosovo, with a Serbian majority, to the capital Pristina, also partially supplied with drinking water by this canal. Images published by local media show a breach on one side of the infrastructure from which water is flowing abundantly.

Rekindled tensions

The United States, through its embassy in Pristina, strongly condemned “attack on critical infrastructure in Kosovo”. “We are monitoring the situation closely (…) and we have offered our full support to the Government of Kosovo to ensure that those responsible for this criminal attack are identified and held to account.”continues the embassy on Facebook.

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Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have persisted since the war between Serbian forces and Kosovars in the late 1990s. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a decision that Serbia refuses to recognize, encouraging Serbs to reject their loyalty to Pristina.

Serbia has maintained so-called “parallel” public institutions, schools and hospitals, in the Serbian areas of Kosovo. But the recent dismantling of these institutions by the government of Albin Kurti has shaken this system and reignited tensions.

Friday's attack follows a series of violent incidents in northern Kosovo, where Serbs are the majority, including grenades thrown at a municipal building and a police station earlier this week.

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The World with AFP

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Source: Lemonde

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