Kosovo, an impoverished territory with a population of mainly ethnic Albanians, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. The territory immediately won recognition from the United States of America and major European Union countries. But Serbia, with the help of its ally Russia, has vowed to block Kosovo from getting a UN seat. In October 2008, Serbia requested the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with respect to the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence. The ICJ, in an opinion rendered on 22 July 2010, found the declaration not to have contravened any applicable rule of international law. On 26 July 2010, the Serbian parliament passed a resolution declaring it would not recognize Kosovo's independence in perpetuity. As of July 2010, 69 states had formally recognised the Republic of Kosovo.
Kosovo has been the backdrop to a centuries-old and often-strained relationship between its Serb and ethnic Albanian inhabitants. A passive resistance movement in the 1990s failed to secure independence or to restore autonomy, although ethnic Albanian leaders declared unilateral independence in 1991. In the mid-1990s, a non-state armed group of ethnic Albanians, the Kosovo Liberation Army, stepped up its attacks on Serb targets. The attacks precipitated a major, and brutal, Yugoslav military crackdown.
Slobodan Milosevic's rejection of an internationally brokered deal to end the crisis, and the persecution of Kosovo Albanians resulted in NATO launching air strikes in March 1999. A campaign of ethnic cleansing against Kosovo Albanians was initiated by Serbian forces. Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled to Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro. Thousands of people died in the conflict.
Serbian forces were driven out in the summer of 1999 and from that point until 2008 the province was administered by the UN, after a conflict fuelled by ethnic division and repression. Reconciliation between the majority ethnic Albanians, most of whom support independence, and the Serb minority remains elusive.
The landlocked region is one of Europe's poorest, with more than half of its people living in poverty. Although it possesses rich mineral resources, agriculture is the main economic activity. Ethnic Albanians number about two million -- approximately 90% of the population. Some 100,000 Serbs remain living in separate areas watched over by international peacekeepers. International diplomats have voiced concern over slow progress on their rights. In December 2008, EULEX Kosovo, the European Union’s largest civilian peacekeeping mission, replaced the UN Mission in Kosovo.
On 22 July 2010, the International Court of Justice ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence was not in violation of any applicable rule of international law.
