The State of Kuwait has donated US$50,000 (€43,319) to the Committee on Missing Persons, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) announced on Thursday.

According to Unficyp, the donation brings the total sum of Kuwait’s donations to the CMP to €243,750 since it first donated in 2014.

“The contribution will assist the Committee’s goal to identify and return the remains of missing individuals to their families in 2026, helping to bring an end to the long-standing uncertainty endured by relatives for many years,” it said.

The CMP was first established in 1981 and became operational in 2006, setting out to locate and identify a total of 2,002 people who went missing during Cyprus’ intercommunal conflicts.

As of the end of last month, it has exhumed 1,719 bodies and identified the remains of 1,081 people from the official list, as well as 217 others.

Of those identified, 317 were Turkish Cypriots and 764 were Greek Cypriots. So far this year, the remains of 18 people, all Turkish Cypriots, have been identified.

The CMP operates with donations, with nation states and international organisations frequently donating to it.