Today in history, 23 October: The March 2004 violence

The recorded event closest to today's date in the archive calendar.

Date of the event: 17–18 March 2004
Place: Unknown
Evidence status: Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.

On 17–18 March 2004 riots spread across Kosovo, with attacks on Serb, Roma and Ashkali communities, Orthodox religious sites and UNMIK and KFOR property. According to the UN, 19 people died and 954 were injured.

Full event record, with sources and map

Historical context

The postwar period and legacy

The end of the war did not end the violence, the grief or the search for truth. This period is treated separately from the armed conflict of 1998–1999.

Read the chapter “After the war: justice, the missing and memory”

Sources

[1]Sekretari i Përgjithshëm i OKB-së. Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (S/2004/348). 2004-04-30. https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/2004/348&l=en&t=pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.
[2]Human Rights Watch. Failure to Protect: Anti-Minority Violence in Kosovo, March 2004. 2004-07. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/. Accessed 2026-09-16.
[3]Humanitarian Law Center. The March violence in Kosovo – a reminder of the facts. 2021-03-16. https://www.hlc-rdc.org/en/public-information/press-releases-informisanje/the-march-violence-in-kosovo-a-reminder-of-the-facts/. Accessed 2026-09-16.