Projectile event in Agios Dometios area, Cyprus on Wed 4th December 2024

Unexploded shells found in TRNC

The ammunition was found on the territory of a “government” quarter under construction in the occupied part of Nicosia.

"Inappropriate Project"

The new "government" quarter is located in the Agios Dometios area on an area of ​​657,000 sq.m. It includes the building of a “presidential” palace, a “parliament”, a mosque, a park and, in the future, a “court” building. The project has received much criticism for its inappropriateness, especially given the rising cost of living and ongoing inflation.

The Turkish military base was located here

The origin of the discovered shells has not been established. However, it is known: the quarter is being built on land where a Turkish military base was previously located. The ammunition was probably left over from her.

Another version is shells from the events of 1974.

A controlled detonation was carried out

Turkish Cypriot authorities carried out a controlled detonation of ammunition at the site at around nine in the morning on December 4. The lack of prior public announcement of the explosion caused concern among local residents on both sides of the Green Line. Several residents of the Agios Dometios area called the police after hearing the explosion.

The area of ​​dangerous areas in Cyprus is 1.7 sq. km

There are still areas in Cyprus that are classified as dangerous due to the presence of mines. Their total area is 1.7 sq. km. Since 1974, mines, artillery shells, unexploded bombs and grenades have remained there.

Almost 199,783 square meters of territory have been cleared

According to peacekeeping forces, as of August 2016, 199 783 sq.m. Seven anti -tank mines were destroyed and six mortars were seized. 121,891 square meters were cleared in the buffer zone. m of land and unexploded ammunition were taken out.

After 2017, mine clearance work was suspended.

In April 2019, 18 areas (nine in free and nine in occupied territories) were identified as posing a threat due to the presence of mines and which should be cleared as part of confidence-building measures between the two communities.

About 50 districts need survey

For 47 districts with a total area of ​​1.7 square meters. km requires a thorough investigation to determine the need for demining and to ensure proper coordination of this process.