9 September Front

The 9 September Front (Turkish: 9 Eylül Cephesi) was a secret Turkish-Cypriot paramilitary organization that supported partition and opposed union with Greece (Enosis).

History

The organization was formed in 1955 by mostly untrained volunteers to counter the activities of the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA), which advocated for Enosis. The 9 September Front's primary goal was to resist EOKA's efforts and promote a separate Turkish-Cypriot state.

Initially, the organization failed to grow into a national level and could not achieve its goals independently. In 1958, the leaders of the 9 September Front decided that they would not be effective separately from other Turkish-Cypriot organizations, so they merged with the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TRO).

Context

The formation of the 9 September Front was part of a broader context of conflict in Cyprus during the 1950s. The island had been under British colonial rule since 1878, and tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots were escalating. The Greek Cypriot community sought Enosis with Greece, while the Turkish Cypriot community advocated for partition or Taksim.

References

* Cyprus Emergency
* Paramilitary organisations based in Cyprus
* Cyprus dispute
* Turkish nationalism in Cyprus
* Separatism in Cyprus
* Organisations based in Northern Cyprus