A confrontation between Turkish Cypriot forces and UN peacekeepers erupted in the buffer zone dividing Cyprus, as tensions escalated over the construction of a contentious road.
Turkish Cypriot forces were accused of assaulting UN peacekeepers on Friday as they attempted to block the construction of a controversial road in the buffer zone dividing Cyprus, drawing international condemnation.
The confrontation occurred in Pyla, an ethnically mixed village in the UN-patrolled area between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus in the south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north.
Video widely shared on social media showed bulldozers pushing away UN-marked SUVs, cement barriers and razor wire as well as a posse of Turkish Cypriot police forcing back peacekeepers in blue berets. AFP could not immediately independently verify the footage.
The UN mission said its peacekeepers were assaulted as they tried to block the “unauthorised construction work” near Pyla, the only village where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots live side by side.
“The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus condemns the assaults against UN peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side this morning,” UNFICYP said.
Chypre: Crise actuellement sur l'île entre les forces de l'ONU et les Chypriotes turcs concernant la construction d'une route par les Chypriotes turcs. Les forces de l'ONU essayent de stopper la construction de la route sans succès, les bulldozers repoussent les véhicules de… pic.twitter.com/XrvmMthjBz
— Restitutor Orientis (@restitutorII) August 18, 2023
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN chief “stresses that threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and may constitute serious crimes under international law,” said Stephane Dujarric.
European Union member Cyprus denounced what it called “organised incidents caused by the Turkish occupying forces… and the unacceptable attack against British and Slovak members of the UN peacekeeping force”.
The EU also condemned the incident, as well as Britain, France and the United States, who in a joint statement expressed “serious concern at the launch of unauthorised construction” of the road.
The authorities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, who say the road project is aimed at easing the plight of its people, dismissed the UN mission’s allegations as “baseless”.
“Our expectation from UNFICYP… is to review its biased stance, put an immediate end to its physical interferences and blockage efforts” of the roadworks, the TRNC said in a statement.
An official said Turkish Cypriot police and military in plain clothes had punched a peacekeeper and assaulted a dozen others by “pushing them back violently”.
A tractor was used to drag a UN vehicle out of the way and major damage had been caused to three vehicles, said the official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
In its statement, the UN mission urged the Turkish Cypriot side to “respect the mission’s mandated authority inside the UN buffer zone, refrain from any actions that could escalate tensions further, and withdraw all personnel and machinery from the UN buffer zone immediately”.
Marie de La Roche Saint-André, with AFP
