Gunfight in Macedonia

An ethnic-Albania militia led by five men from Kosovo attacked the Macedonian town of Kumanovo, near the country’s southern border with Kosovo, on May 11, killing eight security officers and injuring at least 40 more officers. Macedonian officers killed 14 of the gunmen and detained more than 30, later charging them with terrorism. 

On April 21, at least 40 ethnic-Albanian Kosovoans captured a police station in the Macedonian town of Gošince, demanding the creation of an independent Albanian state. The group left a few hours later without incident.

In May, the Macedonian prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, was accused of illegally wiretapping tens of thousands of Macedonians, causing antigovernment protests in the capital, Skopje. The militia attacks are believed to be unrelated.