hnic divisions. The badly damaged southern half
of the town was repopulated by an estimated 50,000 Albanians. Their numbers
have since grown with the arrival of refugees from destroyed villages in the
countryside.
Most of the
approximately 6,000
Roma
fled to Serbia, or were relocated to
one of two resettlement camps, Chesmin Lug, or Osterrode, in
North KosovskaMitrovica. In the north,
live some 17,000 Kosovo Serbs, with 2,000 Kosovo Albanians and 1,700
Muslim Slavs
inhabiting discrete enclaves on the
north bank of the
Ibar
river. Almost all of the
Serbs
living on the south bank were
displaced to North KosovskaMitrovica after the Kosovo War. In 2011, the city
had an estimated total population of 71,601 and the municipality's population
is estimated to be some 71,601.
KosovskaMitrovica became the focus for
ethnic clashes between the two communities, exacerbated by the presence of
nationalist extremists on both sides. The bridges linking the two sides of the
town were guarded by armed groups determined to prevent incursions by the other
side. Because of the tense situation in the town, KFOR troops
and the United Nations Interim
