British UN peacekeepers are kicked and punched as Turkish Cypriot protesters use bulldozers to remove their cars in row over new road across buffer zone on divided island
- Greek Cypriots perceive the road construction as a move with a military purpose
- UN peacekeepers are tasked with monitoring the buffer zone to prevent clashes
British UN peacekeepers were assaulted as they tried to prevent a group of Turkish Cypriots building an unauthorised road through a UN-managed buffer zone in ethnically divided Cyprus, the UN has said.
The attack occurred when peacekeepers parked their cars and linked arms to prevent crews from building a road linking the village of Arsos in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla.
Greek Cypriots perceive the road construction as a move with a military purpose at a sensitive spot along the buffer zone that spans 120 miles.
The road would scythe through the zone, which aims to prevent conflict between Turkish Cypriots in the north and Greek Cypriots in the south where the internationally recognised government is seated.
Shocking video footage showed how Turkish Cypriots – some of whom were allegedly military or police officers in plain clothes – used bulldozers, diggers and tractors to smash and drag UN vehicles away from the planned route.
Others were seen punching and shoving the peacekeepers, who attempted to hold building crews back, but did not retaliate with force. The UN said three of the peacekeepers needed medical treatment, with one sustaining a broken nose.
Several of the vehicles battered away by the heavy machinery were rendered completely undriveable.
Shocking video footage showed how Turkish Cypriots – some of whom were allegedly military or police officers in plain clothes – used bulldozers, diggers and tractors to smash and drag UN vehicles away
Others were seen punching and shoving the peacekeepers, who attempted to hold building crews back, but did not retaliate with force
The attack occurred when peacekeepers parked their cars and linked arms to prevent crews from building a road through UN controlled territory
UN vehicles are removed from the route by bulldozers
Some two dozen Turkish Cypriots were said to have been involved in the incident, outnumbering the small group of UN peacekeepers, the Cyprus Mail reported.
The violence constitutes a serious escalation of tensions not seen on the island in years.
‘Threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and constitute a serious crime under international law which will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,’ the peacekeeping force, known as UNFICYP, said in a statement.
But UNFICYP spokesman Aleem Siddique said the UN won’t back down from continuing to ‘block or frustrate construction of the road by nonviolent means,’ despite Friday’s assault.
He said construction of the road would violate the forces’ mandate of maintaining the status quo inside the buffer zone.
Meanwhile, EU Council President Charles Michel and the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell both condemned the assaults and urged a de-escalation of the situation.
The embassies of the UK, France and the United Nations also issued a joint statement expressing ‘serious concern’ over construction of the road and condemned as ‘completely unacceptable’ the assaults while urging for an immediate halt to the work.
‘We call upon the Turkish Cypriot authorities to refrain from any further escalatory actions that risk undermining prospects for a return to settlement talks, and to immediately cease any form of violence against the UN peacekeepers deployed to the area’, they said.
Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis condemned what he called the ‘organised violence,’ adding that the government is in touch with the UN, the EU and other governments to prevent ‘Turkish designs’.
The situation is likely to hamper the Cypriot government’s efforts to restart negotiations to resolve the island’s division.
Several of the vehicles battered away by the heavy machinery were rendered completely undriveable
The island has been divided by a UN controlled buffer zone after Turkey invaded in 1974 following a coup by a Greek junta to reunite the island with Greece
Maintaining the status quo of the buffer zone is enshrined in the UN mission’s mandate since 1974, when Turkey invaded after the Greek junta in Cyprus staged a military coup, aiming to unite the island with Greece.
Fearing the elimination of the Turkish Cypriot minority’s rights and security, Turkey intervened on July 20, 1974, with a military operation codenamed ‘Operation Attila.’
The Turkish invasion led to a rapid occupation of the northern part of Cyprus, as violent clashes displaced thousands of people before a ceasefire was eventually brokered.
Since then, the island has been divided into a Turkish-controlled north and a Greek-controlled south, with a United Nations buffer zone established between them to maintain the peace.
In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) declared independence, though it is only recognised by Turkey.
The southern Republic of Cyprus meanwhile is recognised internationally, but the government only has control over the Greek majority area of the island south of the UN buffer zone.
The buffer zone, known as the Green Line, remains a stark reminder of the division, separating the two sides and restricting movement between them.
And despite some interactions and initiatives to build trust, the division has led to a deeply entrenched separation of communities, with limited economic, social, and political cooperation between the north and south.
The UN says there have been numerous infringements of the buffer zone by both sides over the years.
But the latest attempt by Turkish Cypriots to construct a road through the buffer zone is seen by the Cypriot government as ‘an attempt at a very serious violation of the status quo’.
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