Miscalculation in buffer zone ‘matter of time’

A military “game of chess” is being played out in the “silent battle ground” of the island’s buffer zone, Unficyp’s outgoing military chief has said.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Chief of Staff Col. Ben Ramsay said the peacekeeping force had seen the deployment of large-calibre weapons at guard posts.

He described machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the construction of hundreds of new fighting positions and the installation of dozens of high-tech cameras with infrared capability. “No one’s listening,” he said. “A miscalculation is a matter of time.”

Ramsay told AP there had been a 70 per cent increase in breaches on the buffer zone compared to a year ago and that the summer months see the most infringements.

Ramsey’s description of upping the ante along the ceasefire line echoes those in the UN Secretary-General’s latest report on Unficyp released on July 4.

Antonio Guterres expressed his strong concerns over the ‘significant’ militarisation of the buffer zone which he said undermine Unficyp’s peacekeeping efforts.

Guterres highlighted a record number of violations in the buffer zone by both sides in the last reporting period December 2023 to June 2024, particularly the ‘unabated’ number of sophisticated surveillance cameras.

“This militarisation is seen as a significant destabilising factor and is in direct conflict with the stated intentions of both sides to move forward with peace talks,” he said.

These violations include “unauthorised military constructions and the advancement of military capabilities within and near the buffer zone”.

The secretary-general described the actions as reflective of a rapid military buildup, with both the Greek Cypriot National Guard and the Turkish forces seeking to gain a strategic advantage in the buffer zone.

Among the main worries raised by Guterres was the installation of advanced surveillance technology along the southern ceasefire line, which he said “continued unabated”.

Guterres said that during the period under review, the Republic of Cyprus erected surveillance cameras at 31 additional sites along the buffer zone, six of which are located inside the buffer zone in and around Nicosia, bringing the total of such installations by the Greek Cypriots to 79.

Turkish Forces installed four additional camera sites during the reporting period, bringing the total of its camera installations along the northern ceasefire line to 110.

“In all instances, Unficyp protested the installations and urged their removal with engagement at both the political and military levels,” Guterres said.