EOKA

“EOKA OPERATIVES NEVER NUMBERED MORE THAN 200-300 GUERRILLAS, BUT THEY WERE DETERMINED FIGHTERS WHO WARNED THE BRITISH, ‘THE MORE TROOPS YOU BRING TO THE ISLAND, THE GREATER YOUR LOSSES WILL BE’”

Cyprus had been ruled by Britain since 1878, first as a protectorate and then as a crown colony from 1925. The island was of great strategic value to the British in the eastern Mediterranean but, like many colonies after WWII, the Cypriots began to push for independence.

Greek Cypriots made up 80 per cent of the population at that time, and in 1950 the Greek Orthodox Church organised a referendum on Enosis (unification with Greece). 95.7 per cent of Greek Cypriots voted for Enosis but Turkish Cypriots (who made up 18 percent of the population) boycotted the referendum while the British authorities ignored the result.

This event led to the creation of a Greek Cypriot underground movement called the ‘National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters’. Commonly known as ‘EOKA’, this group was organised by Georgios Grivas, a Greek Cypriot who had become a general in the Greek army. Makarios III, archbishop of Cyprus, also supported it.

From 1955, EOKA began an armed guerrilla campaign against British rule. Its tactics included sabotaging British installations, armed attacks against British troops (both on and off duty) and encouraging popular passive resistance. Despite being supported by the majority of Greek Cypriots, EOKA was hostile towards Turkish Cypriots, and its campaign precipitated the breakdown of inter-communal relations. EOKA also targeted any Cypriots (including Greeks) who supported the British, and civilians were killed.

EOKA operatives never numbered more than 200-300 guerrillas, but they were determined fighters