by Harvest Blog
November 14, 2014
As the historic resistance of YPG/YPJ (Rojava’s heroic People’s/Women’s Defense Forces) fighters against the ISIS gangs goes into its 58th day in Kobanê, the Kobanê Crisis Coordination group held a press conference in the Arîn Mîrkan Tent City in the Suruç district of Urfa regarding their report on the refugees sheltered in the district.
The Kobanê Crisis Coordination, which was formed by the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), DBP (Party of Democratic Regions, formerly BDP), HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party), HDK (Peoples’ Democratic Congress), the Suruç Municipality, and the Rojava Solidarity and Aid Association, organized the press conference regarding the ongoing resistance in Kobanê, solidarity and support actions at the border, and the situation of Kobanê refugees in the district. HDP Urfa MP İbrahim Ayhan, HDP Mardin MP Gülser Yıldırım, DBP Urfa Provincal Co-chair Celalettin Ekmen, HDP Party Assembly Member Mehmet Doymaz, DBP Suruç District Co-chair İsmail Kaplan, and Rojava Solidarity and Aid Association Member Faruk Tatlı all participated in the press conference.
YPG (People’s Protection Unit) fighters in Kobanê.
HDP Urfa MP İbrahim Ayhan made a statement to the press on behalf of the Coordination. Ayhan said, “We are calling on the world from the Arîn Mîrkan Tent City. Our call is to all humanity. The attacks of the ISIS gangs have been going on for two months. The attacks by ISIS are aimed at all humanity in the person and identity of Kurds, Turkmen, Syriacs, Assyrians, Armenians, Arabs, and Alevis. The resistance against this barbarism represents all of the values of humanism.”
MP Ayhan criticized the policies of the AKP (Turkey’s reactionary ruling party) government regarding Kobanê, and added, “The AKP government is not fulfilling the requisites of universal contracts and it is also not acting in line with the present…huge inflow of people coming from Kobanê. The approach and attitude of the government is fatal. It is hostile towards the people (making and owning) the resistance of Kobanê. This approach is not for the benefit of anybody. An approach towards Kobanê is an approach towards all the Kurds. I am calling on the government to become sincere and to act in line with international contracts.”
Ayhan said the number of refugees coming from Kobanê is as high as 180-190 thousand, and that about 17,000 of these refugees are sheltered in tent cities. “The matter of health is a matter all by itself. Those who (are not being helped or registered by AFAD, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) cannot benefit from services apart from emergency clinics in the hospital. There are important problems in feeding, hygiene and heating, as well. Winter is approaching day after day, and there is a need for winter clothes and blankets and etc. All these problems must be resolved as soon as possible. There is a risk of epidemics if the required measures are not taken.”
Harvest is a blog dedicated to supporting the revolutionary, democratic, and progressive forces in Turkey and the Kurdish Freedom Movement.