UN peacekeepers restore calm after Denia buffer zone altercation

Denia, Cyprus. Calm was restored in the buffer zone near the village of Denia, west of Nicosia, after an altercation between Turkish forces and Greek Cypriot farmers, according to the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

Unficyp spokesman Aleem Siddique said on Wednesday that peacekeepers were immediately dispatched to de-escalate tensions, after which both sides agreed to retreat from the buffer zone.

Unficyp monitoring situation

“Unficyp continues to monitor the situation closely and restore the status quo,” Siddique told the Cyprus Mail.

The incident occurred two weeks after Denia mukhtar Charalambos Alexandrou asked Unficyp chief Khassim Diagne for a more visible presence in the area around the village.

Alexandrou said this could be achieved through increased patrols and intervention in incidents in the buffer zone, rather than remaining an observer, to ensure this was also imposed on the Turkish side.

Previous tensions

While much of the recent tension in the buffer zone has centred on Pyla, near Larnaca, the section between Nicosia and Morphou, where Denia is located, has also seen heightened tensions from time to time.

Earlier this year, disagreements between Greek Cypriot farmers and Turkish forces over rights to use farmland south of the nearby village of Avlona, located in the north, increased in frequency in recent months.

In July, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Unficyp had developed an internal action plan to address the challenges “sustainably and comprehensively”.

Avlona incident

In April, Turkish Cypriot police officers in Avlona mistakenly believed that a Greek Cypriot farmer had crossed into the north and moved to intercept him.

Unficyp peacekeepers intervened to diffuse the situation. After all parties established where the buffer zone begins and ends, the police officers returned to the north.