Air Raid Sirens Sound across Republic of Cyprus every July
Each year the Republic of Cyprus marks the anniversary of the invasion of Cyprus by sounding the air raid sirens across the island.
The wailing sirens are heard in each district and while there is no cause for alarm it can be worrying for those not expecting the early morning wake up.
The first sirens are heard on 15th July at 8:20am marking the anniversary of the coup against Archbishop Makarios in 1974.
They sound a second time on July 20th, this time at 5:30am to mark the time the Turkish invasion started.
Archbishop Makarios III was ousted by the Greek Cypriot EOKA-B paramilitary organization in a coup backed by the Greek military junta that was then ruling Greece. Five days later heavily armed Turkish forces landed on the north coast of Cyprus and initially took 3% of the island. Ankara claimed that it was "invoking its right under the Treaty of Guarantee to protect the Turkish Cypriots and guarantee the independence of Cyprus"
A cease fire was agreed on 23rd July and talks began in an attempt to restore democracy on the island.
The second phase of the invasion came in August, when Turkey started a full scale offensive whilst talks were in progress in Geneva between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriots representatives along with Greece, Britain and Turkey.
Despite repeated calls from the UN Security Council, Turkey went on to occupy 37% of the islands territory. A ceasefire was called and the ceasefire line, usually referred to as the 'Green Line' came into existence dividing the island in two. The northern part is now controlled by Turkey (which is now known as the 'Occupied area') and is not recognized internationally by any country other than Turkey. The 'Green Line' is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force.
During the war more than three thousand people were killed and more than 200,000 Greek Cypriots became refugees as they were forced out of their homes in the north of the island. 1400 Greek Cypriots are still missing.
Each year on the anniversaries the Republic of Cyprus pays tribute to those killed during the invasion and those who are still missing with memorials and services across the island.
