KOKKINA/ERENKÖY ENCLAVE

On the Tillyria coast, this 19 ^km2 enclave is an oddity that cannot be visited. It can, however, be glimpsed from the heights, on the road to Kato Pyrgos, about 4 km after Pachyammos. Called Kokkina/Κόκκινα in Greek (meaning "red") and Erenköy or Koççina in Turkish, this territory is surrounded by a buffer zone guarded by blue helmets. The former Turkish Cypriot port village was the scene of a three-day battle in August 1964. Now part of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the enclave has been occupied by the Turkish army since 1974. It all began in 1963, when Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of neighboring villages sought refuge here from the Greek Cypriot paramilitaries of the EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters). August 6, 1964 marked the start of the "Battle of Tillyrie". EOKA and government forces surrounded and attacked the village defended by TMT (Turkish Resistance Organization) militiamen. The latter then received support from Turkey, which launched its air force not only against the Greek Cypriot forces, but also against neighboring villages, notably Pachyammos, Pomos and Kato Pyrgos. On August 9, a ceasefire was declared and the Blue Helmets intervened.

Napalm and resistance. The battle of Tillyrie left between 200 and 300 dead, mostly Greek Cypriot civilians killed by napalm bombs dropped on Pachyammos. The positions held by both sides on August 9, 1964 still demarcate the territory and its buffer zone. And the blue helmets are still there. Within the enclave, however, several things have changed. Firstly, it is no longer TMT militants who occupy the area, but Turkish army soldiers, who are supplied by boat or helicopter. Secondly, because of the village's isolation, all its inhabitants left in 1976. Most of them settled in the northern part of the village, in Gialousa, which took the Turkish name of Yeni Erenköy ("new Erenköy"). Finally, since 2010, the old road between the enclave and Mansoura has occasionally opened up. Every August 8, the families of former residents, accompanied by officials, travel from the northern zone by bus to celebrate the "Erenköy resistance" here. On the same day, another ceremony is held in Pachyammos to commemorate the victims of Turkish bombing.