Tensions are high in Cyprus. This happened in the UN buffer zone. Greek Cypriot farmers had a physical fight. They fought with Turkish soldiers and police. The incident was near Mammari village on Monday. Farmers said they were attacked with stones. They were also stopped while working. The Republic of Cyprus strongly condemned this. The UN is now investigating.
Two brothers, Gavriel and Yerolemos Yerolemou, were farming. Gavriel said over twenty Turkish soldiers and police came. He said they threw stones. They also tried to arrest them. Their father said it was very dangerous. He said the Turkish forces had weapons. There were two farmers and twenty soldiers.
A Turkish soldier tried to take the farmers' keys. This started the fight. A police officer tried to get on a tractor. Yerolemos Yerolemou drove away quickly. The farmers said they would defend themselves.
UN peacekeepers arrived. They stopped the fighting. The UN force watched and wrote notes. The farmers were very upset. They did not go back to work the next day. They want to know where they can farm.
The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, was angry. He called the actions "piratical." He said it was a violation of the buffer zone. The UN confirmed they are investigating. They are talking to everyone involved.
However, the Turkish Cypriot side has a different story. Ziya Öztürkler said the farmers violated the border. He said they attacked security forces. He also criticized the UN for being neutral. This shows the big differences in Cyprus. It is hard to calm things down in the buffer zone.