Anger and tension as Cyprus does a precautionary closure of dividing-checkpoint on the split island, in view of Co-Vid 19 outbreak
5332 Mins Read
Cypriot police had to fire pepper spray on Saturday as tension led to skirmishes with protesters angry that a checkpoint on the ethnically split island was closed in what authorities have said was a precaution against coronavirus, witnesses said.
Cyprus announced the temporary closure of four checkpoints on the divided island on Feb. 28, the first closure since crossings between the two sides were eased in 2003 after decades of estrangement.
DW reports that Cypriot authorities last week announced the closure of four of the nine checkpoints on the island, which is divided between the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey. The closures, which authorities said were for public health reasons amid series of coronavirus outbreaks around the globe, are the first since tensions between the two sides eased in 2003.
Reuters reports that witnesses said a group of people on the Turkish Cypriot side turned out in support of peace activists on the other side of the barricade calling for the checkpoint, on Nicosia’s Ledra Street, to open. The Ledra Street checkpoint is a narrow pedestrian alley traversing a U.N.-controlled buffer zone. When open, it is used by hundreds of people on a daily basis.
