Canadian Peacekeepers in Cyprus

Background

At 9,250 square kilometres, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located about 65 km south of Turkey. The population of 1.3 million is approximately four-fifths ethnic Greek and one-fifth ethnic Turkish. Over the centuries, Cyprus has belonged to a succession of empires, most recently the Ottoman (1571–1878) and the British (1878–1960).

In 1925, Cyprus became a British Crown colony, which destroyed any hopes of the Greek ethnic majority for a union with Greece, known as enosis. Both the British and the Turks were against enosis. The British wanted to retain Cyprus as a valuable strategic asset, while the Turks did not want a Greek island so close to their southern border.

Nationalist Struggle

In 1955, a pro-Greek Cypriot army officer founded an underground movement, known as EOKA, with the support of the Orthodox archbishop of Cyprus, Makarios III. EOKA (English translation: National Organization of Cypriot Struggle) was dedicated to ending British colonial rule and eventual union with Greece.

EOKA’s armed campaign against opponents of enosis was initially successful due to British preoccupation with the Suez Crisis and the resulting lack of British forces on the island. Support for EOKA was also strong because of the British exile and detention of Makarios in the Seychelles.

By early 1957, the Suez Crisis was over. This allowed British forces to attack the EOKA, which was now outnumbered. Coupled with the release of Makarios from detention, EOKA’s attacks temporarily subsided. Hostilities soon increased, however, until mid-1958, when Greek and Turkish Cypriots fought each other instead.

Independence

In 1958, Makarios reversed his position and decided to accept Cypriot independence rather than enosis. In February 1959, Cypriot, Greek, Turkish and British representatives reached a compromise agreement and accepted the island’s independence.

On 16 August 1960, Cyprus became an independent republic, although Britain retained sovereignty over its two existing military bases on the island’s south coast. By terms of the treaty that created the new state, there would be no political or economic union with another country or any partition of the island. Britain, Greece and Turkey jointly guaranteed the independence, integrity and security of Cyprus, while Greece and Turkey agreed to honour the two British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).

Makarios was elected president with a Turkish Cypriot leader as vice president. Both offices had veto over matters of security, defence and foreign affairs. Positions in the civil service, army and House of Representatives were to be allocated on a proportional basis.

UN Action

Despite being an independent republic, intercommunal difficulties intensified between the island’s two ethnic groups. Disagreements over the implementation of some aspects of the constitution led to hostilities. The Turkish Cypriot area was reduced to a few enclaves, and the capital, Nicosia, was divided by a ceasefire line policed by British troops from the SBAs.

On 4 March 1964, the United Nations Security Council agreed to a multinational peacekeeping force in Cyprus to keep the two sides apart and prevent further violence. UNFICYP (United Nations Force in Cyprus) was formed in Nicosia later that month with the arrival of the first off-island contingent from Canada (CANCON) to support British troops who were already stationed there. Additional contingents followed from Ireland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden over the next few months, as well an Austrian field hospital. The island was divided into six zones, each allocated to a contributing nation.

The first CANCON consisted of 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment and the reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, the latter equipped with Ferret scout cars. Beginning on 15 March 1964, the Royal Canadian Air Force airlifted soldiers, while the aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure delivered vehicles, equipment and supplies on 30 March.

In mid-April, Canada sent a brigade headquarters of 150 officers and men. Colonel E.A.C. (Ned) Amy, an experienced armoured officer with Second World War and Korean War service, commanded CANCON. By the end of April, CANCON numbered some 1,100 all ranks out of an UNFICYP strength of about 6,350, augmented by a small group of civilian police.

CANCON was assigned the northwest corner of the island, which was one of the most sensitive because it included part of Nicosia (the other part was assigned to Finnish forces). Brigadier James Tedlie, another armoured officer with Second World War experience, commanded the Canadian zone.

UN forces moved into their zones along with civilian police. Canadian soldiers deployed between the defensive lines of the warring factions (where they existed) or where fighting could break out; they also constructed observation posts and established mobile patrols to monitor the areas between the posts or potential problem areas.

In Nicosia, the Canadians established themselves in empty buildings along the “Green Line,” which separated Greek and Turkish enclaves. Although it helped to keep the two factions at bay, it did not prevent ongoing attempts by both sides to gain advantage by occupying buildings and setting up roadblocks until Canadian soldiers intervened and restored the situation.

In September 1964, Turkish Cypriots succeeded in cutting the road between Nicosia and the north-coast port of Kyrenia. Although the Canadians reopened the road, soldiers were now needed for permanent escort duty to ensure it remained open.

A Coup and an Invasion

For the next 10 years, the situation remained fragile in Cyprus. Negotiations between the two sides failed, and UNFICYP could not prevent small groups from carrying out a guerilla war of hit-and-run skirmishes and attacks, often driven by revenge. Then, on 15 July 1974, Greek officers serving in the Cypriot National Guard, who still supported enosis, staged a coup d’état to force the union. Turkey quickly responded, and on 20 July some 40,000 Turkish soldiers launched an invasion of the northern part of Cyprus to ensure enosis did not take place. UN peacekeepers were caught in the middle.

Several weeks of fighting followed the invasion as Turkish forces pressed southward to expand their enclave. Canadian peacekeepers evacuated civilians caught in the war zone and placed strategic locations, such as the Nicosia International Airport and the Ledra Palace Hotel, under UN control to prevent the Turks from occupying them. CANCON at the time consisted of 450 soldiers of 1 Commando from the recently formed Canadian Airborne Regiment (CAR).

Canada responded by sending the rest of the CAR to Cyprus in late July and early August, along with antitank weapons, 81mm mortars, an armoured reconnaissance troop from Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) and M113 APCs and Lynx reconnaissance vehicles from 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4 CMBG) in Germany. Operation Snowgoose, the name for the Canadian contribution to UNFICYP, dates from July 1974.

By the time peace was restored in mid-August, Turkey controlled the northern third of Cyprus, some 3,367 square kilometres. Two CAR soldiers, Troopers Gilbert Perron and Jean-Claude Berger, had been killed by rifle fire and more than 30 wounded. Canadian gallantry during the invasion resulted in the award of two Stars of Courage and six Medals of Bravery, as well as five appointments to the Order of Military Merit.

A few months later, Turkish leaders on the island proclaimed the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus, which became the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in 1983. The 180-km-long UN Green Line, a buffer zone between the two ethnic communities, became the equivalent of an international boundary, with entry controlled by UNFICYP.

After the invasion, UNFICYP’s main role became one of monitoring the Green Line, which varied from a couple of metres to a few kilometres in width. The line was monitored by static observation posts, augmented by foot and vehicle patrols. Violations of the ceasefire ranged from shouting, throwing rocks, name-calling and brandishing weapons to firing weapons and attempted incursions into the buffer zone to move the line forward.

Canada’s Contribution

Between 1964 and 1993, more than 33,000 Canadians served in Cyprus on 59 six-month rotations; 28 died there. Canada maintained a battalion-sized contingent in Cyrus for many years. Every regular infantry battalion and armoured corps reconnaissance squadron served there, as well as all armoured and artillery regiments, which served as infantry in Cyprus.

Major-General Clive Milner was the only Canadian commander of UNFICYP (April 1988 to April 1992). In 1993, Canada withdrew its peacekeeping force due to the lack of progress between the two sides in resolving their issues. Since then, Canada has provided one staff officer to UNFICYP headquarters on a yearly rotational basis.

Current Situation

Cyprus remains a divided island, with a much-reduced UNFICYP of about 1,000 stationed there, including 740 soldiers and 68 police. The force supervises the ceasefire line, maintains the buffer zone along the Green Line and undertakes humanitarian activities. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the TRNC, while the rest of the international community considers it part of the Republic of Cyprus.