A divided Cyprus is marking the war that began on July the 20th 1974. But as one side mourns its loss and the other celebrates a military victory - 50 years on, reconciliation seems a long way off.

Nicosia

Cyprus marks fifty years since the 1974 split, a division still felt deeply on both sides of the island. Sirens sounded to mark the anniversary, reminiscent of the day when Turkish troops landed in northern Cyprus. This followed an attempted coup by Athens to unite Cyprus with Greece, leading to Turkey's response and the occupation of a third of the island.

Residents remember the day with mixed emotions. Greek Cypriots mourn it as a "black anniversary," with memories of betrayal and loss. Michalis Teneketsis, who was displaced from his home, reflects on the pain and bitterness still felt. Meanwhile, the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus celebrates the event as a military victory. 

Efforts to reunify the island have repeatedly failed. Proposals, including one by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2004 and 2017 talks in Geneva, have faced opposition. Greek Cypriots and the EU have rejected Turkish Cypriot demands for a two-state solution. The UN Secretary-General has emphasized the shrinking window for a political solution.

Both sides remain separated by a UN-protected buffer zone, with reminders of the conflict evident throughout the island. Abandoned buildings and graveyards serve as constant reminders of the past, highlighting the ongoing need for reconciliation.



Cyprus marks fifty years since split

Sirens interrupt the silence of dawn. Just as they did 50 years ago at 5.20 in the morning when Turkish troops landed on the beaches of northern Cyprus. The military in Athens had, days earlier, attempted a coup in Nicosia to reunite Cyprus with Greece. Nicosia's response was to invade, occupying a third of the island, a division that remains to this day. The pain and bitterness we feel for this day cannot be described in words. All those dark days come to our memories. We remember the betrayal that happened when they just left our children over there to be killed. Michalis Teneketsis was 30 at the time, displaced like thousands of others from his home in the north, here tending his brother's grave. The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus announces itself in the distance, many of its citizens displaced as well. The two sides separated by a buffer zone protected by the UN's oldest peacekeeping mission. Two sides marking this moment quite differently, Greek Cypriots mourning on what they call a black anniversary, the Turkish Cypriot leadership, meanwhile, celebrating a military victory. Previous attempts at reunification have failed, a plan put forward by then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2004 and talks in Geneva that collapsed in 2017, Greek Cypriots and the EU refusing Turkish Cypriot demands of a two-state solution. There is a need for the leaders on the island to redouble their efforts to secure a political solution. The Secretary General has made clear that the window of opportunity is only becoming smaller with the passage of time. And so an uneasy status quo remains, bullet-riddled buildings a reminder of war, old pictures that commemorate the missing and graveyards the dead. The former international airport, abandoned in 1974, still rotting away untouched. Jonah Hull, Al Jazeera.

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