NEWS CENTER - Journalist Weysî Talli drew attention to the responsibility of the UN, which took into account the reports of Turkey and the KDP in the embargo against the Makhmur Camp that has been going on for 900 days, and said, "The UN needs to come to the camp and observe."
The Makhmur Camp, located in the Makhmur district of the Mosul Province of Iraq, has been under an embargo for 2 and a half years. 12 thousand people live in the Makhmur Camp, the majority of whom were immigrants from Şırnak and Hakkari, which had to migrate as a result of Turkey's hostility against the Kurds between 1993- 1995. Consisting mostly of women and children, the Makhmur Camp was taken under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) in 1998.
After ISIS entered Mosul in 2014, UN and Iraqi institutions in the Makhmur Camp fled. Upon the departure of the UN represantatives, Makhmur Camp became the target of both ISIS and Turkey's attacks. Attempts to attack the Makhmur Camp continue not only militarily, but also with embargoes. After the armed attack on 3 people working at the Turkish Consulate in Hewlêr on July 17, 2019, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) placed an embargo on the Makhmur Camp. Finally, on December 27, 2021, Iraqi military forces attempted to surround the Makhmur Camp with wire fences, isolating it from the outside world. This attempt was stopped after the reaction of the people living in the camp.
Journalist Weysî Talli, who has lived in the Federated Kurdistan Region for a long time and closely followed the developments in the Makhmur Camp, answered the questions of the Mesopotamia Agency (MA).
Uzun süredir Federe Kürdistan Bölgesi’nde yaşayan ve Mahmur Kampı’ndaki gelişmeleri yakından takip eden gazeteci Weysî Tallî, Mezopotamya Ajansı’nın (MA) sorularını yanıtladı.
What is the reason for the embargo that has been going on for more than 900 days in the camp and who is imposing this embargo?
Citizens living in Makhmur Camp have a long history of resistance. The people living there became refugees because they did not accept the persecution in the places they came from. The Makhmur Camp has been under constant embargo since its establishment. The last embargo is imposed by the Kurdish power, the KDP, and in particular the Barzani family. After the incident in Hewler, an embargo began to be implemented on the Makhmur Camp. What is interesting here is that the KDP took such a step after the murder of an MİT member whose was guilty of the deaths of thousands of Kurdish youth. Although there have been hundreds of diplomacy attempts so far, no official reason has been presented for the embargo on the Makhmur Camp, but all the doors have been closed de facto. Although the event in Hewler is cited as a reason, it is not the real reason. The main reason is that Turkey wants an embargo on Makhmur and it continues today.
Even though the camp is built on a small area, there are thousands of people living in it. What changed after the KDP embargo?
Thousands of people live in the camp. People living here make their living by doing daily work. People earn their living by going to other cities of Bashur and working there. After this embargo, all the people working in Hewlêr, Duhok, Zaxo and other provinces under the control of the KDP were dismissed from their jobs. They were not paid when they were fired from their jobs. Many people were attacked. In this process, nearly 3,000 workers were laid off. Again, those who left Turkey for political reasons and settled in Bashur were deported.
The majority of the camp consists of women and children. What kind of problems did they experienced in terms of education and health?
Student's right to an education was taken away. Even the students who had UN ID cards could not continue their education in Hewlér. They were forced to spy on their people, prevented from speaking their minds, threatened not to take part in any political events. Another problem was access to healthcare. According to international laws, a person's right to health is essential regardless of their language, race or opinion. People's right to treatment can never be denied, but unfortunately, even this right was taken from the people living in the Makhmur Camp. The forces affiliated with the KDP adopted a very immoral and inhumane attitude. They stopped the sick people at check points and prevented them from going to the hospital. Tragic things have happened during that time. 2 women had to give birth at checkpoints.
Can you explain the aim of this embargo further?
The aim is to disperse the camp. The camp was subjected to Turkish drone attacks 5 time during the embargo. 5 civillians lost their lives, dozens were injured. Neither the Iraqi government nor the KDP condemned the attack. KDP is an accomplice in Turkey's crimes against this camp. And what Turkey wants is to disperse this camp bu the hand of the KDP and Turkmens. There have been attempts to evacuate the camp in which different tactics were used.
What is the attitude of the people living in the camp about this?
The people living here are trying to maintain their lives in some way, despite all the difficulties. They refuse to evacuate the camp. Seeing this, Turkey and KDP tries different methods. They tried to isolate the camp surrounding it with wire fences on December 27. But the people stopped it. A sit in was started to stop these efforts once and for all and they are determined to continue the sit in until they are reassured the camp will not be closed with wire fences.
What does UN's position on this, has there been any initiatives regarding these attacks so far?
The most important issue here is UN's silence. The people living in Makhmur Camp are recognized by the UN as political refugees and they were taken under UN protection. UN has a responsibility to protect the residents of the camp from any external attacks or threats. But it remained silent during Turkey's attacks and the embargo and showed that it is a party in this process. The UN is taking steps according to the reports prepared by Turkey and KDP, but the UN has to come and observe in the camp itself. To date, the UN has not taken a clear stance against neither the Iraqi government nor the KDP administration's attempts against the camp.
MA / Ömer Akın