Fifty-two bloody years… more than half a century since “Attila” set foot in Cyprus and has since illegally occupied more than one-third of our island.

July 20, 2024, 5:30 a.m. Fifty-two years later, the sirens sounded again to stir memories and remind us of that tragic morning of July 20, 1974, when the Turkish army landed on the shores of Kyrenia, five days after the treacherous coup of July 15 against Archbishop Makarios.

READ ALSO: “I was holding the baby with half its head missing”: The brutal murder of 8-year-old Stavros and his grandmother Margarita during the coup

Hundreds of people lost their lives, and hundreds remain missing, more than half a century after the Cypriot tragedy. Despite long-standing efforts to reunify Cyprus within the framework of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, no solution has been reached to date due to Turkey’s unacceptable demands.

Chronicle of that fateful day

On July 19, Archbishop Makarios III delivered a speech before the UN Security Council, in which he characterized the coup as an invasion of Cyprus by the junta and the abolition of its independence, while at the same time calling on the Security Council to intervene with all available means to restore the Republic.

The Turkish Prime Minister, Bülent Ecevit, seized the opportunity Ankara had long sought and, claiming that this was not an invasion but a “peaceful intervention,” aimed at restoring constitutional order in Cyprus, which had been overthrown by the coup against Makarios, and invaded one day later, on July 20, 1974.

Codenamed “Attila,” the Turkish invasion began at 5:30 a.m. with amphibious and airborne operations in the coastal area of “Five Miles.” Paratroopers dropped en masse, while Turkish infantry forces landed on the beaches of Kyrenia. A total of about 40,000 men took part, under the command of Lieutenant General Nurettin Ersin. The signal to begin the invasion was: “Ayşe can go on vacation.”

READ ALSO: 50 Years Later: This Is Ayşe, Who Went on “Vacation” to Cyprus in 1974

The “government” of Nikos Sampson’s coup plotters resigned under the weight of events on July 23, 1974.

In Geneva, feverish consultations began to find a peaceful solution, under the auspices of British Foreign Secretary John Callaghan. The Greek Cypriot side, represented by Glafkos Clerides, demanded for the first time since 1963 the implementation of the Zurich-London Agreements and the Cypriot Constitution. Turkey refused and reiterated its long-standing demand for the geographical partition of the island.

Turkish Foreign Minister Turan Güneş counterproposed a plan, under which the Republic of Cyprus would be transformed into a bicommunal federal state comprising multiple cantons, in which Turkish Cypriots would control approximately 34% of the island. Clerides requested a 36- or 48-hour postponement to consult with the Council of Ministers. The Turks rejected his request.

While the diplomatic peace negotiations in Geneva were ongoing, a successful outcome did not appear likely. At 3:30 a.m. on August 14, 1974, Turkey withdrew its delegation, and less than an hour and a half later (4:35 a.m. of the same day), it launched the second wave of the invasion, codenamed “Attila II,” capturing Morphou, Famagusta, and Karpasia.

SEE ALSO: “Alexander Was Admitted to the Hospital”: A Chronicle of July 15, 1974, and the Beginning of the Cypriot Tragedy

Despite the appeals of the UN Security Council (Resolution 353, 1974) for the swift restoration of constitutional order on the island, Turkey occupied 36.2% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and forcibly displaced approximately 200,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. Another 20,000 Greek Cypriots, who remained in the occupied areas, were also eventually forced to abandon their homes and seek refuge in the areas controlled by the Cypriot government.

In addition to the economic devastation resulting from the Turkish invasion and the forced displacement of the population, more than 3,000 people were killed, and as of July 15, 2022, 775 Greek Cypriots and 200 Turkish Cypriots were still missing as a result of the intercommunal fighting of 1963–64 and the Turkish invasion of 1974.

Makarios returned to Cyprus in December 1974.

Cyprus, now a member of the EU, remains divided. Ongoing efforts, under the auspices of the UN, to find a viable and workable solution—a bicommunal, bizonal federation—have not yet borne fruit, due to the Turkish side’s insistence on retaining its intervention rights, anachronistic guarantees, and ensuring the presence of Turkish troops on the island.