Serbia-Kosovo tensions flared up this week after Kosovo police fired tear gas on Serb protesters after a local election boycott.

科索沃警察向抵制当地选举的塞尔维亚抗议者发射催泪瓦斯，塞尔维亚与科索沃的紧张局势升级。

Clashes between Serbs on one side and Kosovo police and NATO peacekeepers on another have pushed Serbia to shore up its troops.

塞尔维亚人与科索沃警察、北约维和部队之间的冲突迫使塞尔维亚增援军队。

Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew this week after violent clashes between Kosovo’s police and NATO-led peacekeepers on one side and local Serbs on the other.

本周，科索沃警察、北约领导的维和部队与当地塞尔维亚人之间发生暴力冲突，塞尔维亚与科索沃之间的局势再度紧张。

Dozens of people have been injured on both sides.

双方都有数十人受伤。

Serbia raised the combat readiness of its troops stationed near the border, warning it wouldn’t stand by if Serbs in Kosovo were attacked again.

塞尔维亚提高了驻扎在边境附近的军队的战备状态，并警告称，如果科索沃的塞尔维亚人再次遭到袭击，塞尔维亚不会袖手旁观。

The situation has fueled fears of a renewal of the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo that claimed more than 10,000 lives and left more than 1 million homeless.

这种局势加剧了人们对1998年至1999年科索沃冲突重演的担忧。那场冲突夺去了1万多人的生命，导致100多万人无家可归。

Why are Serbia and Kosovo at odds?

塞尔维亚和科索沃为何不和?

Kosovo is a mainly ethnic-Albanian-populated territory that was formerly a province of Serbia. It declared independence in 2008.

科索沃这片领地主要以阿尔巴尼亚族人口为主，以前这里是塞尔维亚的一个省。科索沃于2008年宣布独立。

Serbia has refused to recognize Kosovo’s statehood and still considers it part of Serbia, even though it has no formal control there.

塞尔维亚拒绝承认科索沃的国家地位，并且仍然认为科索沃是塞尔维亚的一部分，尽管塞尔维亚没有正式控制科索沃。

Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the United States.

包括美国在内的大约100个国家承认科索沃的独立。

Russia and five EU countries, most of them with separatist regions of their own, have sided with Serbia.

俄罗斯和五个欧盟国家，其中大多数国内都有分裂地区，都站在塞尔维亚一边。

The deadlock has kept tensions simmering and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region after the bloody wars in the 1990s.

这一僵局使紧张局势持续发酵，并阻碍了巴尔干地区在上世纪90年代血腥战争后的全面稳定。

What’s the latest flare-up about?

最近突然爆发了什么事件?

Serbs boycotted last month’s local elections held in northern Kosovo, where they are a majority.

塞尔维亚人对上个月在科索沃北部举行的地方选举进行了抵制。在科索沃北部，塞尔维亚人占多数。

Last Friday, newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors moved into their offices with the help of Kosovo’s riot police.

上周五，在科索沃防暴警察的帮助下，新当选的阿尔巴尼亚族市长搬进了他们的办公室。

Serbs tried to prevent the new mayors from taking over the premises, but the police fired tear gas to disperse them.

塞尔维亚人试图阻止新市长占领大楼，但警方发射了催泪瓦斯驱散他们。

On Monday, Serbs engaged in fierce clashes with NATO peacekeepers, leaving more than 50 rioters and 30 international troops injured.

星期一，塞尔维亚人与北约维和部队发生激烈冲突，造成50多名暴徒和30名国际军人受伤。

The election boycott followed a collective resignation by Serb officials from the area, including administrative staff, judges, and police officers, in November 2022.

在抵制选举之前，该地区的塞尔维亚族官员，包括行政人员、法官和警察，于2022年11月集体辞职。