UNFICYP reminds hunters to keep out of buffer zone

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), in view of the hunting season that stars on November 4, reminds hunters that hunting in the buffer zone is not allowed and hunters entering the zone ”run the risk of drawing fire from either of the opposing forces.”

UNFICYP appeals to all hunters ”to exercise caution and the highest standards of safety during this upcoming hunting season” and reminds them of the need ”to conduct themselves in a responsible fashion, both for their own safety and for that of others they might come into contact with.”

”Hunters wearing camouflage outfits and carrying guns are easily mistaken for soldiers. Firing guns in the area between the ceasefire lines increases tension because soldiers on duty cannot immediately determine where the shots have come from and may feel obliged to react,” UNFICYP says.

It adds that ”in the past, some hunters with loaded weapons have proved to be a hazard to each other and to UNFICYP patrols in the buffer zone.”