UNFICYP has condemned an incident in which a group threw rocks and fireworks towards the north in the UN buffer zone on Markou Drakou street in Nicosia on Wednesday.
This comes after Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman alleged that Turkish Cypriot civilians had been attacked with stones and explosives from the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus.
In a social media post, Erhurman said that according to information and evidence received from the “Security Forces Command” in the occupied north, at around 13:30 a group from the government-controlled areas attacked Turkish Cypriot civilians at a location he described as having the characteristics of the buffer zone. He assigned responsibility for the incident to both UNFICYP and the Republic of Cyprus and said contact had already been made with both.
In a statement issued on April 2, UNFICYP described the objects thrown as rocks and fireworks. UNFICYP said the objects were thrown “allegedly at civilians present in a park and nearby cafes” in the civil-use area of the buffer zone on Markou Drakou street.
“Acts of violence of this nature are unacceptable and risk undermining public safety and stability,” UNFICYP said. The force said it had reached out to the relevant authorities on both sides immediately after the incident to follow developments and support efforts to establish the facts through an appropriate and thorough investigation.
Erhurman condemned the attack and called on UNFICYP and the Republic of Cyprus to take immediate necessary action and share information with the relevant authorities in the occupied north. “On a day like 1 April, on which it is absolutely predictable that such incidents may occur, it is impossible to accept that no measures have been taken,” he said. The date marks the anniversary of the 1955 EOKA uprising against the British Empire which colonised Cyprus between 1878 and 1960.
UNFICYP reiterated its call for restraint and respect for the rule of law, calling on all parties and individuals to refrain from any action that could undermine peace and security on the island.
The Republic of Cyprus had not responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
#UNFICYP condemns the incident which took place in the civil-use area of the @UN #bufferzone on Markou Drakou street in Nicosia, during which a group of individuals threw rocks and fireworks towards the north allegedly at civilians present in a park and nearby cafes.
Acts of… pic.twitter.com/zBmGKTqyQa
— UN Cyprus (@UN_CYPRUS) April 2, 2026