EOKA - EOKA-B

Acronym for Ethniki Organosis Kipriakou Agonos (‘National Organization of Cypriot Struggle’), a Greek Cypriot underground movement seeking to end British rule and achieve enosis, the union of Cyprus with Greece. Founded in 1955 by a Greek army officer, Colonel George Grivas, with the support of Archbishop Makarios III, it pursued a campaign of anti-British violence which climaxed in 1956–7. EOKA declined and was later disbanded following Makarios's acceptance of Cypriot independence rather than enosis (1958). In 1971–4 it was unsuccessfully resurrected as EOKA B.

(Discuss)

EOKA (Εθνική Οργάνωσις Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών, Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (Greek National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that fought for the expulsion of British troops from the island, for self-determination and for union with Greece in the mid to late 1950s.

The organisation was headed by George Grivas, a Cyprus born Colonel in the Greek army, who distinguished himself during World War II and the subsequent Hellenic Civil War. The EOKA was clandestinely supported by the Greek Government in the form of arms, money and propaganda on radio stations broadcast from Athens. Its military campaign began on April 1, 1955 and while its main target was the British military, the EOKA also targeted civilian installations on the island as well as assassinating pro-British Cypriots, informants, Progressive Party of Working People (a communist organisation), Taksim (Turkish Cypriot supporters of partition), and members of the Turkish Cypriot insurgent organisation, the Turkish Resistance Organization.

Over the period 30,000 British troops were assigned to combat the organisation.

The period officially claimed the life of 104 British military personnel.

On the 16 June 1956, the bombing of a restaurant by EOKA led to the unintentional death of William P. Boteler, a CIA case officer working under State Department cover

In October 1956 an EOKA leader Pilots Christofi was captured during Operation Sparrowhawk.

EOKA's activity continued until December 1958 when a cease-fire was declared which paved the way for the Zurich agreement on the future of the country.

The EOKA aim to rid Cyprus of British rule was partially met when on 16 August 1960 Cyprus achieved independence from the United Kingdom with the exception of two "Sovereign Base Areas" (SBA) at Dhekelia and Akrotiri.

After independence EOKA fighters formed regional associations such as ΣΑΠΕΛ (Σύνδεσμος Αγωνιστών Πόλεως και Επαρχίας Λεμεσού;

EOKA-B

EOKA-B was a Greek Cypriot right-wing pro-enosis paramilitary organisation formed in 1971 that was supported by the ruling Greek junta which came to power in 1967 overthrowing the legitimate Greek government of Panayiotis Kanellopoulos.

When George Grivas returned to Cyprus in 1971 he created EOKA-B in response to President Archbishop Makarios' deviation from the policy of enosis.

Whereas EOKA (1955-59) were seen by the majority of the Greek Cypriots as anti-colonialist freedom fighters, the EOKA-B did not have the overwhelming support of the Greek Cypriot population, who where skeptical over the organisation's involvement with the unpopular Greek dictatorship. The organisations unpopularity increased after attacks on Greek Cypriot socialists and supporters of independence, while public outrage followed the murder of government minister Polycarpos Georgadis and a botched assassination attempt on Makarios.

When Grivas died from heart failure in January 1974, the new leadership of EOKA-B increasingly came under the direct control and influence of the military junta in Athens. On July 15, 1974, the EOKA-B with approval of the Greek Dictator Ioannides and the help of the National Guard, launched a military coup, overthrowing Makarios and installing Nikos Sampson as President of Cyprus.