On Thursday 17 March is 12th anniversary of the biggest inter-ethnic conflict in Kosovo since the arrival of international forces. For this two-day tragedy and violence against the Serbian people, their property, churches and monasteries, during which six towns and 10 villages were ethnically cleansed, only small number of people were held responsible while imposed penalties were almost symbolic.

Clashes erupted on 17 March 2004 after UNMIK police found the bodies of two Albanian boys in the Ibar River in the village of Cabar near Zubin Potok in northern Kosovo. Mass demonstrations degenerated into violence in which participated more than 50,000 Kosovo Albanians accusing Serbs for the death of boys. In the two days of violence were killed 11 Albanians and eight Serbs while 954 people were injured including Kosovo and International policemen. About 4000 Serbs were expelled from the territory of Kosovo.  In the riots were destroyed or damaged about 800 houses and 35 Orthodox churches and monasteries, including 18 cultural monuments.

The OSCE said then that media reporting on the death of the boys was irresponsible, causing in that way outbreak of intense and brutal violence in Kosovo.  UN Security Council and the then Secretary-General Kofi Annan, as well as all the major international institutions and organizations, governments of many countries, including the US and Russia, condemned the violence in Kosovo.  On this occasion, NATO sent additional troops in Kosovo. In the province immediately arrived commander of the south wing of the Alliance, Admiral Gregory Johnson, who said that the violence in the province was "organized and orchestrated".