Two killings have mourned Serbia this week. On Wednesday, a teenager killed nine people in a Belgrade school. Thursday evening, late at night, a young man killed eight people in three villages of Mladenovac, about sixty kilometers from the capital, already bereaved. These massacres, which apparently have no connection, deeply shocked Serbian public opinion.
But are these shootings exceptional in this Balkan country? Is the circulation of arms there uncontrolled? 20 minutes takes stock for you thanks to the insight of Florian Bieber, political scientist and historian specializing in the Balkans and Florent Marciacq, co-director of the Balkan Observatory and associate researcher at the International Center for European Training.
Are these events exceptional in Serbia?
“It’s something quite exceptional in Serbia,” says Florian Bieber, political scientist and historian specializing in the Balkans. Wednesday’s school killing is unprecedented in this southern European country. “In the Balkans, it’s very unusual, unlike in the United States. Violence does not translate into the street, it remains rather confined to crime,” explains Florent Marciacq, co-director of the Balkan Observatory and associate researcher at the International Center for European Training. A total of 17 people were killed and 21 others hospitalized in these two shootings, causing fear in Serbia. Sign of the excitement, three days of national mourning have been decreed from this Friday.
In solidarity, the Bosnian government has also declared a national day of mourning. “It’s a real national shock. A shock similar to if we had seen this type of event in France or in another Western European country, ”says Florian Bieber. This Friday, thousands of residents of the Serbian capital left flowers, toys, messages, and lit candles in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school in the city center, where the carnage took place. All schools in the country began the day with a minute of silence to pay tribute to the victims. “This type of event is extremely rare in Serbia but, what is not rare, are firearms”, explains Florent Marciacq.
Is the circulation of arms a problem in the country?
Serbia, which has around seven million inhabitants, is indeed a heavily armed country. Some 765,000 weapons, including more than 232,000 pistols are legally registered. “It is one of the countries in Europe where there are the most weapons in circulation. In Serbian villages, it is very usual to take a gun to celebrate the New Year or a birthday. Weapons are much more integrated into daily life there than in France, for example,” explains Florian Bieber. And many weapons are not registered but remain “in the attic”, notes Florent Marciacq. “At the end of the war in Yugoslavia, it was estimated that 4 million firearms had disappeared and, among them, a large number were kept by families”, reports the co-director of the Observatory of Balkans.
“It was so easy to get weapons during the wars. Many people who participated in it kept their weapons when they left the war and never registered them, ”abounds Florian Bieber. The author of the second killing was, during his arrest, in possession of four grenades, a Kalashnikov and a large quantity of ammunition. If there is no evidence that the weapons used by the attackers came from these arms networks, “when the weapons are available, why look elsewhere? asks Florent Marciacq before adding: “That’s the heart of the problem. »
What political reactions do these tragedies cause?
The Serbian president reacted quickly, promising an “almost complete disarmament of Serbia”. Aleksandar Vucic announced on Friday a vast disarmament plan in order to considerably reduce the weapons held legally but also to tackle the problem of illegal weapons in this Balkan country. The Head of State wants to “reduce by 90% the number of light weapons held by individuals and businesses”. A very ambitious task when “between 10 and 30% of people have a firearm” in the country, says Florent Marciacq. “It’s difficult to carry out this type of disarmament when so many people keep this kind of weapon in their attics”, adds the co-director of the Balkan Observatory.
Especially since the Serbian government is used to sensational declarations. “President Vucic is known for his rather strong populism. It is not certain that there is a real political will behind these announcements”, warns Florent Marciacq. Serbian society is showered with brutal statements as Belgrade continues to refuse to recognize Kosovo’s independence. “There is a form of schizophrenia: on the one hand, the government uses warlike and violent rhetoric against Kosovo, on the other it proposes this idea of disarming Serbian society”, underlines the researcher. In the end, Belgrade’s will will depend on public opinion and “societal pressure”, believes Florian Bieber. But, even if it turns out to be strong, the operation risks being delicate given how much “society remains contaminated by very large stocks of weapons”, notes Florent Marciacq. One thing is certain, “we cannot resolve such a situation in one day”, concludes Florian Bieber.