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A group from the Greek Cypriot side threw stones and explosive materials at Turkish Cypriot civilians in Nicosia on Tuesday, prompting sharp condemnation from the Turkish Cypriot leadership and Ankara and raising fresh tensions along one of Europe's last divided capitals.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Security Forces Command said the incident occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time near the Yigitler Bastion in Nicosia, where a group from the Republic of Cyprus side hurled stones and explosive devices at civilians on the TRNC side. No injuries were reported.
TRNC President Tufan Erhurman condemned the attack in strong terms and called on both the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot leadership to respond swiftly. He said contacts had already been established with both the UN force and counterparts in the south, noting that the area where the attack occurred falls under shared responsibility, both as a buffer zone under UN oversight and as a road used by the Greek Cyprus side.
Erhurman said it was unacceptable that no precautionary measures had been in place, pointing out that April 1 was widely known to carry a heightened risk of provocations. "On a day like April 1, when the possibility of such incidents could be anticipated by everyone, it is impossible for us to accept that no measures were taken in such an area," he said.
The TRNC president said his administration would follow up closely to ensure that the Greek Cypriot authorities launched a criminal investigation and that those responsible were brought before the relevant judicial bodies. "We will monitor whether the UN Peacekeeping Force and the Greek Cypriot leadership fulfill their responsibilities," he added.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz issued a strongly worded statement on social media, condemning what he described as an attack carried out by remnants of the EOKA terror organization.
He charged that the Greek Cypriot administration bore direct responsibility for the incident, accusing it of glorifying those responsible for intercommunal violence over decades and instilling in younger generations a perception of Turkish Cypriots as enemies. Yilmaz said Türkiye would continue to stand by the TRNC in the face of what he called despicable attacks.
EOKA was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerrilla terror group that fought for union with Greece in the 1950s and is widely associated with intercommunal violence against Turkish Cypriots during that period. Its legacy remains deeply contentious on both sides of the divide.
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