Cyprus's Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) has launched concurrent excavations across several locations on the divided island, searching for the remains of individuals lost during intercommunal violence in the 1960s and the Turkish invasion of 1974.
Active Excavation Sites
Work is currently under way in Kato Deryneia, at the area of Ayios Memnonas, where investigators are searching for the remains of twelve individuals, according to Cyprus Mail. A separate dig is ongoing in Karavas, close to a former Turkish navy landing point, where a significant discovery has already been made.
Bones with military clothing were found and it is believed that these may belong to a number of missing persons
That assessment came from Leonidas Pantelides, the Greek Cypriot CMP representative, who is overseeing the Karavas excavation. Additional excavation activity is taking place in Ampelikou, Lapithos, Syrianochori on Morphou bay, the village of Yalatia in Karpasia, and Strovolos.
Scale of the Search
The CMP, established in 1981, began systematic excavation work in 2006 and has conducted approximately 1,800 excavations since then, including 126 in the past year alone. Of the 1,619 individuals recorded as missing, 859 have been identified, leaving 760 still unaccounted for. Around 100 sets of remains are currently under examination at the CMP laboratory, with an estimated 30 to 35 identifications expected during 2026. Notably, 217 individuals not previously listed as missing have also been identified through the programme's work.
Pantelides acknowledged the growing difficulty of the task while expressing cautious optimism.
The easiest cases we were able to resolve occurred in the earlier years. However, we believe that there is still a window to locate known mass graves.
Genetic Testing and Access Restrictions
A new phase of scientific investigation is set to begin in May, when the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics launches a €1 million genetic testing programme. Using massive parallel sequencing, the initiative will analyse skeletal remains from the Tomb of Makedonitissa in an effort to unlock identifications that conventional methods have been unable to achieve.
Despite the progress, Pantelides noted persistent obstacles to access on the ground.
The approval we are given is for 10 areas per year, however yet again they delayed us this year too.
International Pressure and Government Commitment
The Council of Europe has reaffirmed Turkey's obligation to cooperate with the investigations, calling for the removal of restrictions on excavation access and for the payment of €30 million in moral compensation to the families of missing persons.
Presidential commissioner Marios Hartsiotis underlined the government's determination to pursue the work, stressing the need "to pursue every lead, towards the goal of finding even the last missing person." He added a note of sober realism: "There is still a long way to go and absolutely no complacency can be allowed."
