Alpha News

Turkish Cypriots Continue Provocations in the Buffer Zone, Farming Greek Cypriot Land

Published January 5, 2026, 20:13

Turkish Cypriot farmers entered the Buffer Zone between Akaki and Avlona with tractors and began cultivating land owned by Greek Cypriots. The community leader of Avlona, Menelaos Savva, reports that Greek Cypriot landowners are repeatedly denied permission by the United Nations to cultivate their land due to safety concerns, while Turkish Cypriots are exploiting the situation. UNFICYP personnel arrived at the scene but failed to halt the illegal farming, only verbally requesting the Turkish Cypriots to leave. Mr. Savva expresses his frustration with the lack of action from both the state and the United Nations, describing the incidents as “almost daily”.