As residents return to Cizre after state forces’ massacres, children affected by war and destruction see the world through their own perspectives.

Children who had to live under artillery fire for more than a month share their experiences. It has been four days since children, who experienced savage attacks during the curfew, began to go out to the streets in Cizre. Children now play in the rubbles of their neighborhoods, and recall the words of their parents when they talk about state massacres. They say that the death of resistance fighters will be avenged. A 12 years old child named Cesur describes the conflict in Cizre in the following way:

‘Erdoğan sent the military and the police to Cizre, they bombed everywhere and killed children mostly. Why did Erdoğan murder children? Many people are upset because state forces destroyed our houses, but they also destroyed mosques. We wonder why Erdoğan destroyed our houses, but he even destroyed God’s houses because he is the enemy of God.’

10 years-old Bawer began to speak of a resistance fighter who got injured from his or her foot, but his friends interrupted his speech because ‘that is a secret.’ Bawer continued to say that he was missing the young resistance fighters protecting the neighborhoods, and promised that they would replace the fallen fighters and not allow the police to stay in their district.

Muhammed Tahir collects bomb shrapnel for his collection, and showed us the pieces of a bomb that destroyed his house. Tahir stated that Erdoğan destroyed people’s lives, and everyone hated Erdoğan for his crimes. Lastly, Muhammed said that soldiers and police officers hate the residents of Cizre because they wrote many insults on the walls in and around the district.