Kurdistan is being destroyed and depopulated through oil drilling, mining, sand quarries, and hydroelectric power plant (HPP) projects. Ahmet Inan, Amed Bar Association’s Head of the Urban and Environmental Commission, told ANF that the environment in Şırnak has been plundered due to the lack of a comprehensive struggle.

He underlined the necessity of expanding the fight against this destruction and organizing in a collective manner, and added that the villages in Amed that are now facing mining destruction were forcibly evacuated in the 1990s. Despite some opportunities for villagers to return, these villages have never truly regained their original population or way of life. Inan continued: "Kurdistan is facing a policy of total erasure through mining projects aimed at finishing what the village evacuations of the 1990s started. In Pîran (Dicle) district, in the villages of Pirejman and Heridan, evacuations took place in the 1990s, followed by a slow and limited return. About 15 years ago, a lead mine began operating in these areas, and soon after, cases of lung diseases and cancer started appearing among the residents. These villages are now entirely within the scope of extensive mining projects. This represents the most extreme stage of destructive mining in Kurdistan. It directly violates people's right to housing and livelihood. In other words, they do not want people to live here. In the Kasor Basin of Pasûr (Kulp) district, companies are carrying out mining operations under the protection of soldiers and state-backed militias. The living spaces of the local population are being plundered under military escort. The destruction is systematic and deliberate." 

Identity and culture are being erased

Inan said that the so-called mining operations in Kurdistan are actually part of a deliberate policy aimed at depopulating the region, and added: “The intensity of these mining explorations clearly indicates that this is a conscious policy. The data we have confirms that this is a systematic plan. The local people do not want to abandon their land and living spaces. Mines are destroying people’s identity and culture. The local population is engaged in a cultural struggle for survival. Our people living there are fighting to preserve their identity and culture. In the Fis Plain of Licê, an unimaginable environmental massacre has been carried out under the guise of oil exploration. Alongside mining activities, there is a calculated effort to dismantle the ecological and sociological structure of the Kurdish people. The real intention is destruction, plundering, and forced displacement. Despite all the pressure, the local population is striving to protect their land and environment.”

A comprehensive struggle needed

Inan criticized the failure of civil society organizations and political parties in responding to the destruction of nature and identity. He argued that the leading institutions of Kurdistan’s social and political dynamics have failed to raise their voices against this situation. Stressing that this includes bar associations, chambers of engineers, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), municipalities, and all relevant institutions, Inan said: “We are not doing enough. Look at what happened in Hasandin Plateau in the Pasûr district. The local people and civil society organizations united and took a stand. Villages are standing ready to resist the policy of homogenization and destruction. However, if NGOs and municipalities do not provide support, the result will be failure. To achieve success and prevent plundering, a comprehensive line of struggle must be established. A genuine resistance must be built. We have the example of Şırnak before us. Because no united struggle was carried out in Şırnak, its nature was plundered and wiped out. We must expand the scope of our organized struggle.”