Cyprus Emergency

Cyprus Emergency
Part of the Cyprus problem and Decolonisation
A street riot in Nicosia during the Battle at Nicosia Hospital in 1956
Date 1 April 1955 – 19 March 1959 (3 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 4 days) Location British Cyprus Result London and Zürich Agreements Independence of the Republic of Cyprus Enosis and Taksim not achieved Britain retains bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia EOKA not defeated
Belligerents
United Kingdom British Cyprus Royal Ulster Rifles Turkey Special Warfare Department Turkish Resistance Organisation 9 September Front AKEL	EOKA
Commanders and leaders
Harold Macmillan (from 1957) Anthony Eden (until 1957) Hugh Foot (from 1957) John Harding (until 1957) Major General Daniş Karabelen Colonel Ali Riza Vuruskan Rauf Denktaş Ulus Ülfet †	Georgios Grivas Grigoris Afxentiou † Tassos Papadopoulos Markos Drakos † Kyriakos Matsis † Renos Kyriakides
Strength
40,000 4,000 policemen	300 fighters 1,000 active underground
Casualties and losses
British Armed Forces: 104 dead 601 injured Police: 51 dead 187 wounded	102–112 killed (85–95 in combat) Unknown injured
Greek Cypriot civilians: 252 killed and 263 injured Turkish Cypriots civilians: 62 killed and 150 injured

The Cyprus Emergency was a conflict fought in British Cyprus between April 1955 and March 1959.

The National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA), a Greek Cypriot guerrilla organisation fighting for unification with Greece, began an armed campaign in support of the end of British colonial rule and the unification of Cyprus and Greece (Enosis) in 1955. Opposition to Enosis from Turkish Cypriots led to the formation of the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT) in support of the partition of Cyprus. The Cyprus Emergency ended in 1959 with the signature of the London-Zürich Agreements, establishing the Republic of Cyprus as an independent state.