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Roundup: Greek Cypriots mark anniversary of independence campaign

Xinhua, April 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Greek Cypriots on Friday marked the anniversary of the start of a guerrilla campaign against British colonial rule in 1955 which led to the independence of Cyprus and the establishment of a Cypriot state for the first time in its history.

Cyprus had been ruled by small Greek city-kingdoms until it was occupied by the Romans about 2,000 years ago and then became part of different empires which were lured by its strategic location in the eastern Mediterranean.

The island was governed by several rulers, finally the British.

President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos attended the celebrations in tribute to the guerrilla fighters killed during the four-year campaign.

They also laid wreaths on what have become known as "the imprisoned tombs" -- the graves of nine activists hanged and four killed in action.

The graves had been dug by the colonial authorities in a small yard inside the central prisons next to the gallows on which several men died, so as to prevent the population turning them into places of pilgrimage.

The guerrilla struggle by several teams of guerrillas hiding mostly in mountain hideouts tied down more than 40,000 British troops from 1955 to 1959.

The bombing and ambush campaign ended when agreements were concluded between Britain, Greece and Turkey which led to Cyprus becoming an independent state.

In a statement on the anniversary, Anastasiades urged the public to work for the restoration of the unity of the state.

The two Cypriot communities were split apart when Turkey occupied the northern part of the eastern Mediterranean island in 1974, reacting to a coup organized by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

Cyprus became a member of the European Union in 2004 and four years later joined the Eurogroup.

Anastasiades is currently engaged in negotiations with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, which for the first time in four decades offer a chance for a solution which will reunify Cyprus. Endit