Disasters & Conflicts: Cyprus. Struggle for independence, 1960-current
After gaining independence from Britain in 1960, Cyprus sees so much unrest between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, the two biggest population groups on the island, that in 1964 a UN peacekeeping for ...
Country: Cyprus
Period: 1960-present
Type of conflict: struggle for independence
Conflict: Cyprus is partitioned into two parts, inhabited by Turkish and Greek Cypriots, who strive for independence
Parties involved: Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Greece, Turkey, United Nations, European Union
Estimated number of victims: in 1974 almost 1,500 Greek Cypriots disappear during the Turkish invasion
After gaining independence from Britain in 1960, Cyprus sees so much unrest between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, the two biggest population groups on the island, that in 1964 a UN peacekeeping force arrives to maintain order. The force has remained on the island to this day. In 1974 the Greek Cypriots stage a military coup with the support of Greece. Turkey immediately responds by occupying the north of Cyprus and evicting almost the entire Greek Cypriot population. Most Turkish Cypriots in the south then relocate to the north of the island. In 1983 the Turkish Cypriots unilaterally declare the independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey. The international community wants the two halves to reunite. No end to the long-running conflict is in sight.
Cyprus contends with new problems
While the population groups in Cyprus find themselves in a political impasse, in March 2013 the island faces new, economic problems. Owing to the Greek debt crisis, the banks in Cyprus find themselves in serious difficulty because the island’s financial sector is tightly interwoven with the Greek banking world. Moreover, financial services are an important aspect of the Cypriot economy, with many foreigners depositing their money on the island. To prevent the banks from collapsing, the EU pumps billions into the sector. But they are accompanied by stringent measures that hit the population hard. For they have to help pay for the rescue plan, in the form of a heavy levy on their bank savings. Luckily, these big economic problems have not resulted in more violence between the divided population groups on Cyprus.
