The underground movement that fought to unite Cyprus with Greece

History · Published 2 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1955, a guerrilla campaign began in the mountains of Cyprus. Led by a Greek army officer, EOKA sought to end British colonial rule and achieve Enosis—the union of the island with Greece. Their struggle would reshape the Eastern Mediterranean and trigger decades of political upheaval.

The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, known as EOKA, was an underground nationalist movement organized by Colonel Georgios Grivas. Supported by Makarios III, the Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, the group launched an armed campaign in early 1955. Their primary objectives were twofold: to terminate British colonial administration and to achieve Enosis, the eventual union of Cyprus with the Greek state.

The conflict reached a critical peak in 1956. During this period, the British military presence on the island was temporarily weakened by the Suez Crisis, but the exile of Archbishop Makarios to the Seychelles provided a significant setback for the movement. By 1957, a reinforced British army launched renewed offensives against EOKA's mountain hideouts, where the group was significantly outnumbered.

The political landscape shifted dramatically in 1958. After Makarios was released from exile in March 1957, violence initially subsided, though new hostilities emerged as EOKA clashed with Turkish Cypriot guerrillas. In a pivotal move, Makarios announced he would accept Cypriot independence rather than Enosis. This led to a 1959 compromise agreement between Turkish and Greek representatives in Zürich, which was later endorsed in London. EOKA disbanded the following month, and British rule officially ended in 1960.

The legacy of the struggle remained volatile. In 1971, Grivas secretly returned to the island to form EOKA B, aiming to prevent what he viewed as a betrayal of the Enosis ideal. This secondary movement continued until Grivas's death in January 1974, shortly before the Turkish invasion and the division of the country.

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