The UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has told Deneia’s community council that a cross-shaped concrete structure built on the edge of the buffer zone on the occupied side is a water tank, but local officials have questioned its purpose.
Community leader Charalambos Alexandrou told Phileleftheros the council had reservations, as it was a large reinforced concrete structure with big, sturdy columns. The council is also concerned about its location, right on the edge of the buffer zone among trenches and military positions.
Residents noticed the structure and the heavy building work, prompting the council to ask UNFICYP what was being built. The force replied that it was a water reservoir or tank.
The structure appeared a few months ago, 2.1 kilometres west and 0.5 kilometres north of the village centre, and was identified through analysis of satellite images. It stands close to trenches dug by the occupation army, work on which began in January 2024.
Whereas the earlier work involved digging an anti-tank ditch, this time a reinforced concrete structure can be seen. Phileleftheros understands its foundations are two and a half metres deep, which, according to the same information, points to a particularly solid structure.
Previous incidents
The occupation army’s activities around Deneia have repeatedly drawn reactions, both over harassment of Greek Cypriot farmers in the buffer zone and over fortification work on the occupied side near the ceasefire line.
In January 2024, the then community leader, Christakis Panayiotou, said excavators were digging trenches 50 to 100 metres from fields farmed by Greek Cypriots. The UN and the relevant Republic of Cyprus authorities were informed at the time.
Farmers have also repeatedly complained of being obstructed when entering the buffer zone to cultivate their land. On September 23, 2026, Alexandrou said two uniformed Turkish personnel in an occupation army vehicle had tried to remove farmers, citing a 1998 map. He said two to three such incidents a week had been recorded over the previous two months.
UNFICYP sent peacekeepers to the area after that incident. Its spokesman, Aleem Siddique, said the force intervened following reports of a violation inside the buffer zone, to de-escalate tensions and restore calm. Community officials are calling for farmers to be guaranteed unhindered access to their fields.
