Women Walk Home: Cyprus' forgotten peace march

In June 1987, hundreds of women walked towards a ceasefire line that had divided Cyprus since 1974.

The island was split after a coup backed by Greece and a subsequent Turkish military intervention, which left thousands displaced on both sides.

Many of the women were Greek Cypriots who had fled their homes in the north during the conflict.

They hoped their peace walk would draw international attention to the island’s division, as they wanted to return to the homes they had lost more than a decade earlier.

The group held white flags and banners with their slogan ‘We Come In Peace’ in Greek, Turkish and English.

Some media coverage at the time described the protest as potentially provocative and warned it could escalate tensions.

Niki Katsaouni, one of the leading figures of the movement, speaks to Elena Angelides.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Women Walk Home march. Credit: University of Cyprus Library)