Five civil society organizations in the north oppose World Bank support for “Ibër-Lepenc” after demolitions in the Ujman area

A group of five civil society organizations, active in the Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo, has appealed to the World Bank to suspend any new form of financial, technical, or institutional assistance for the Hydroeconomic Enterprise “Ibër-Lepenc”. They demand that this support be suspended until an impartial assessment of the enterprise’s operations near Lake Ujman is carried out.

The Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), NGO Aktiv, the Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA), the New Social Initiative (NSI), and the Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC) express deep concern over a series of actions. They specifically cite the seizure of the “Rezala” camp, the destruction of residences and vacation homes, warnings of further demolitions, and the demolition of 11 structures that occurred on July 21.

According to these organizations, all these interventions were carried out without proper legal documentation. They highlight the lack of written and reasoned decisions, the absence of administrative acts or enforceable court orders, and the fact that owners were given no real opportunity to appeal before suffering the damage. Furthermore, the organizations claim that the authorities of the Municipality of Zubin Potok were not consulted at all during this process.

In their complaint sent to the World Bank, the signatories recall that “Ibër-Lepenc” previously served as an implementing agency for the “Kosovo Water Security and Canal Protection” project, which was financed by the bank. They demand that any future support for the enterprise be conditioned on a series of measures: an immediate halt to demolitions, an investigation into the actions carried out, rigorous implementation of legal procedures, and the creation of mechanisms that guarantee the inclusion of area residents.