Switzerland to boost Kosovo Force next year

Swiss reinforcements will replace a withdrawing Austrian unit. Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

Switzerland will send 20 more soldiers to KFOR (Kosovo Force) in Kosovo from April 2024.

The Federal Council took this decision on Wednesday to replace the transport unit that Austria will withdraw from the mission next spring.

+ Swisscoy in Kosovo and the neutrality debate

Last June, Parliament approved Switzerland’s participation in KFOR as well as its extension until December 31, 2026. It also gave the Federal Council the power to increase, during the mandate and until the end of the commitment, the strength of a maximum of 30 soldiers to meet possible additional needs.

Austria, for its part, announced to NATO that it wanted to reduce its participation in KFOR during the spring of 2024. It will withdraw two units: an infantry company and a transport company. The strength of the Austrian contingent will thus be greatly reduced.

In order to fill this gap, in agreement with NATO, the Federal Council has decided to reinforce, from April 2024, the Swiss contingent with 20 additional soldiers, who will be engaged in the field of transport. The Swisscoy contingent will thus increase from 195 to 215 volunteer soldiers.

The 20 soldiers will provide all KFOR services in the field of transport of people, materials and goods. The additional costs linked to the increase in the maximum number of staff will be covered by the DDPS budget.

In September, an attack carried out by a heavily armed Serbian commando against Kosovar police officers in the town of Banjska, located in northern Kosovo and close to the Serbian border, reignited tensions in the region. Three Serbian attackers and a Kosovar police officer were killed in the clashes.

Despite the current situation, the security of Swiss soldiers present in Kosovo remains unchanged, recalls the Federal Council. They were prepared to work in such a context and to seek safety if necessary. They know how to react during ethnic and political tensions. Switzerland can decide to withdraw Swisscoy at any time.

Since October 1999, the Swiss army has participated, with Swisscoy (Swiss Company), in NATO’s multinational peace promotion mission (Kosovo Force, KFOR) in Kosovo. Swisscoy constitutes the most important operational contribution within the framework of Switzerland’s partnership with NATO. KFOR’s commitment is based on a UN Security Council resolution.

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