BERJÎN KARA

Makhmour- In the early morning of May 20, 2023, the Iraqi army tried to surround the Martyr Rustem Cudi Camp (Makhmour Refugee Camp) with wire fences and concrete blocks. The residents of the camp have been resisting the Iraqi army for 16 days. Their resistance forced the Iraqi government to withdraw its army. NuJINHA spoke to two women of the camp, who were on the frontline of the resistance.

‘We do not bow to anyone’

Kerîman Kanat, one of the women living in the camp, thinks the Turkish state has been intensifying its attacks to annihilate the Kurdish people. “They want Kurds not to have an identity and a language. The Kurdish people have been facing attacks for centuries. Despite all the attacks, the Kurdish people have been defending their rights by organizing and protecting their existence. Like all the people of the Middle East, the Kurdish people say, ‘We should stand up for our rights, our identity and our land.’ For several years, the Turkish state has been attacking us without stopping. We saw how people resisted in Rojava, the Kurdistan Region, Sulaymaniyah and Shengal (Sinjar). Despite everything, we do not bow to anyone.”

‘We hope that Iraq will do its part’

“We resisted in the Makhmour refugee camp; it was an honorable and enthusiastic resistance against the tanks and artillery of the Iraqi state,” Kerîman Kanat said, “We have been living on Iraqi territory for 30-35 years. We do not want to have any problem with Iraq and we do not want the Iraqi government to comply with Erdoğan's wishes. We have been living together for 30 years and we have not harmed them. We hope that Iraq will do its part and it does not involve us in the games of Erdoğan and KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party).”

‘Our camp is a political and organized camp’

Kerîman Kanat stated that they never accept injustice. “Our camp is a political and organized camp. We always resist the attacks because we do not accept a life like in prison. We will resist to the end. We will resist the Iraqi state, the Turkish state and the KDP and we will never surrender.”

Call on the Kurdish people to resist the attacks

Talking about the ongoing attacks on the Kurdish people in four parts of Kurdistan, Kerîman Kanat said, “Rojava has been under attack. People face massacres every day. I call on all Kurdish people to resist and stand up against the attacks on the Kurdish people. The Kurds must rise up so that our children will not die.”

‘The Iraqi government must give up on these policies’

Another woman living in the camp, Gulê Ozek pointed out that the Iraqi government attacked the camp although it knows that it is a refugee camp. “The Turkish state and the KDP want the Iraqi government to attack us. However, the Iraqi government cannot say, ‘These people have been living in this camp for years and we have not had any problems with them.’ The Iraqi government must give up on these policies. The whole world sees that Iraq is with us. The Iraqi government sees our spirit of resistance. It knows that the people of all ages resist in the camp. What we do is to protect ourselves.”

‘Our resisting children strengthens us’

Speaking about their 16-day resistance against the attempts of the Iraqi army, she said, “Despite all the attacks, we resisted. Our resisting children strengthens us. Mothers, children and old people resisted together. Our daughters resist the Turkish state's artillery, warplanes and chemical weapons every day. The philosophy of leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan) and the thoughts and ideology of our party strengthens us.”

‘UN does not fulfill its responsibilities’

Recalling that the UN has responsibilities to ensure security for the residents of the camp, Gulê Ozek said, “However, it does not fulfill its responsibilities. On the first day when the Iraqi army tried to surround the camp with wire fences and concrete blocks, some people from the UN came to the camp. But they left without telling us what was happening. The UN does nothing for us. If they claim that they defend human rights, they should defend them.”

Pointing to the ongoing Turkish attacks on Shengal and Rojava, Gulê Ozek said, “People cannot go to hospital due to the siege imposed on Shengal and Rojava. People die because they cannot receive treatment. We call on the Turkish state to stop its attacks and inhuman practices.”