The Bombings as Seen from Hakkari

Hakkari is the province in the south-east corner of Turkey, and Cukurca is the district of Hakkari which is closest to the Iraqi border. People in Cukurca have lived with the sound of bombs for years, to the extent where bombs are considered "normal".

Life in Cukurca town is continuing as normal. Like most people in Hakkari, the people of Cukurca complain about the mainstream media, which they accuse of war mongering. They also say that the 20 million dollars spent on operations could solve all the problems in Cukurca.

Fearful nights 

Shop owner Haci Duran said that his family slept fearfully at night because of the sound of bombs: "The walls of the houses are cracking. Citizens live in fear. Although we are used to the sound of bombs, they still worry us. We have lived with the sound of bombs for years, but for the last two months this has intensified."

Forest fires and false denunciations

Duran also said that forest fires were being caused by the bombs: "Sometimes millions of square metres of forest burn, and together with it thousands of living beings. The PKK is here one day, and in Istanbul the next; some people are being deceived. People are being denounced (to the army or police) for a bag of noodles, a sack of flour, or a greeting. These reports should not be taken seriously."

Duran pointed out that entering and leaving Cukurca was forbidden some time ago, and that because of the exaggerations of the mainstream media nobody wanted to come to Cukurca anyway: "And that despite the fact that you would not find hospitality or chat like you do here anywhere else."

Villagers cannot return home 

Sevket Kanat said that the return to previously emptied villages, supposedly supported by the government, has been made impossible. His family had had to leave the Cayirli village before:

"Our village is 17 kilometres from Cukurca town. There are 2 military units near the village. With the laws on returning to one's village, people were told to return, but when we go, we are not given permission. I am forced to buy one ton of fuel for 150 YTL here. It is not only fuel; there were many things that were easier in the village, and now I have to pay for everything. Our grass (hay), our walnuts, everything is there."

Kanat said that Cukurca was the poorest district in the area and had the highest rate of migration: "Many citizens have been setting their hopes on the compensation to be paid for village clearances. These compensation payments should be made immediately and Cukurca should be a priority."

Arafat Cetinkaya believes that the problem could be solved with more peace, more brotherhood and more democracy: "Instead of the bombs, we want services for the people in the area."

Civilian areas drawn into conflict 

Mehmet Kanar, district president of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), said that the bombs in the region did not help the Turkish or the Kurdish people:

"This issue will not be solved with arms. This is a residential area, and it is forbidden to bomb from reisdential areas. Despite the fact that our Hakkari MP Hamit Geylani has presented a motion in parliament, there are still bombs being fired from the military base. In the answer to Geylani's bill, it was said that citizens whose buildings cracked were paid compensation and given food, but this is not true. I have told the mainstream media 12-13 times, but because they do not like it, they do not publish it."

AKP does not see the suffering 

Kanar accused the mainstream media of warmongering: "If the 20 million dollars spent on the first air operation in Northern Iraq had been spent in Cukurca, all of Cukurca's problems would have been solved. The richest people in this area are the village guards and the civil servants. Instead of bombs and guns, we want the border gates to be opened."

Kanar continued, "We do not believe that the Kurdish MPs in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) represent the Kurdish people. Do the MPs not see what we are experiencing?"

"When our little children hear the sound of bombs at night, they run towards the door. Our children are psychologically damaged. During the first bombings in Cukurca two pregnant women lost their children. Who will answer for all of this?" (EC-AK/TK/AG)

* This article was taken from the Yüksekova News on 25 December 2007. Some rearrangements were made by bianet.