NOVO BRDO, Kosovo — Kosovo’s smallest and poorest municipality is on its way to an improved economy and peaceful coexistence between its Serbian and Albanian citizens, thanks in part to members of the Civil Affairs Team 6 from the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion.

The municipality is comprised of 53 percent Serbs and 45 percent Albanians, with about 6,000 people living in its outlying villages.

The civil affairs team, based at Camp Monteith, visits the small municipality of Novo Brdo at least four times a week, sitting in on meetings of its newly formed assembly and attending security meetings, according to Lt. Col. Clifford Cadle, Team 6 commander.

“Every day that we come to Novo Brdo it’s something different,” Cadle said. “We sit in on meetings ... and assist with civilian issues, like if there is no heat in a building we can help facilitate a solution by coordinating with the municipality administrator or the government.”

When the team began its rotation in late October, Novo Brdo’s problems were much more serious than, for example, a building with no heat. The Serbian residents said they were afraid to travel within the municipality without KFOR escorts. Now, just four months later, Serbs are traveling in the area without escorts.

“We see that the Serbs now have freedom of movement,” Cadle said. “It’s a process, but the situation is improving. I’ve seen a change in attitude on both [Serbian and Albanian] sides.”

However, Cadle says the credit for Novo Brdo’s recent progress goes to its citizens and municipality leaders.

“I don’t want people to think the credit for the successes here goes to civil affairs,” he said. “The credit goes to the Serbians and Albanians who are starting to realize that for the good of [Kosovo], they have to start working together.”

But members of the assembly are quick to point out the team’s continuing role in the municipality’s steps toward a peaceful coexistence for Serbian and Albanian residents.

“We have a lot of faith in KFOR and civil affairs,” said Svetislav Ivanovic, the assembly’s Serbian vice president.

“For all of the projects we are working on to improve Novo Brdo, we inform our people through civil affairs.”

“We’re very thankful for the help from civil affairs — the work they have done and continue to do for security in Novo Brdo,” added Xhemajl Novoberdaliu, the Albanian vice president.

“We are most grateful for the freedom of movement that the safe and secure environment here has led to.”

However, Novoberdaliu and Ivanovic said the road to a self-sufficient economy would be a long one, with many hurdles to overcome.

Among the problems they cite are a large unemployment rate, lack of health care and lack of equipment to farm the vast mountainsides that surround the municipality.

Civil Affairs Team 6 has indirectly influenced the Serbs and Albanians to work together to solve these issues and to be tolerant of one another.

“An example of how we help with that is the medical assistance missions we help coordinate,” said Staff Sgt. Jeff Colwander, noncommissioned officer in charge. Both medical and dental assistance missions brought U.S., Albanian and Serbian doctors to the area to treat Albanians and Serbians at the same location at the same time.

“Since they brought everyone together, I think the people realized that whether Serbian or Albanian, they all are people. It went a long way toward getting them to talk to one another and to open up to one another.”

Civil Affairs Team 6 does more than just attend meetings and coordinate medical care. Perhaps the most appreciated thing the team does is simply visiting the villages of the municipality on a regular basis. The troops interact with the municipality’s children, who run to greet the vehicles as soon as they arrive, and its adult residents.

“They have more trust in [civil affairs] than in our assembly, which is very new,” Ivanovic said. Assembly members were elected on Jan. 24.

“People are more satisfied if there is a KFOR presence, and that makes our work more effective.”

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