The Last Divided Capital: How UNFICYP Has Inadvertently Perpetuated a Frozen Conflict and the 50-Year Quest for Peace in Cyprus

The island of Cyprus has been divided for over 50 years between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, reflecting a decades-long struggle to reunite the two communities. Since 1964, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has remained stationed on the island in the heart of its capital, Nicosia, physically dividing the two communities. As one of the longest UN peacekeeping missions in history, and one of the oldest and most symbolic cases of a “frozen conflict,” understanding the role of UNFICYP provides insights into the limitations and challenges of long-term peacekeeping, especially in situations where resolution remains elusive. In this paper, I examine to what extent the presence of UNFICYP has contributed to the prolongation of the Cyprus problem resulting in a frozen conflict and the failure to achieve a comprehensive, lasting peace agreement over the past 50 years. Drawing on interviews with UN officials and the President of the Republic of Cyprus, I argue that the long-term presence of UNFICYP troops along with the existence of the buffer zone has inadvertently diminished the urgency for negotiation, particularly from Turkey, further entrenching beliefs in a two-state solution. Additionally, Cypriots have become accustomed to living with UN forces and a divided island, normalizing the status quo and further complicating prospects for reunification. However, I argue that creating communal spaces for dialogue between Cypriots on both sides of the buffer zone could foster mutual understanding, potentially influencing broader peace negotiations. Understanding UNFICYP’s role in Cyprus not only sheds light on the challenges of resolving one of the world’s longest-standing frozen conflicts, but also provides valuable lessons for other frozen conflicts and future peacekeeping missions by highlighting the consequences of allowing a conflict to remain unresolved for decades.