The European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E), in a statement titled “Maxmur is being targeted for destruction; the people of Maxmur are not alone,” declared that Turkey, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are jointly enforcing a systematic siege on the Maxmur Camp.

The KCDK-E stated that, using the recent security agreement signed between Iraq and Turkey as a pretext, authorities have effectively blocked access to water, electricity, shelter, and healthcare services within the camp. The statement read: “Access to basic humanitarian needs has been rendered impossible.”

The KCDK-E also recalled that Iraqi security forces have “frequently surrounded the camp” and that a delegation of camp representatives was forcibly detained.

The KCDK-E said that the Maxmur Camp was established in 1998 by civilians forcibly displaced during the village evacuations carried out in North Kurdistan in the 1990s, and that it was placed under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the same year. The statement read, “The embargo imposed by the Turkish state and the Iraqi government is unacceptable, especially given that the camp remains under United Nations supervision.” KCDK-E stressed that despite the camp administration submitting a formal complaint file to the United Nations, the problems have not only persisted but have worsened over time.

The KCDK-E outlined the following demands in its statement:

Lifting of the blockade: Immediate and unhindered access to all basic needs, including water, electricity, and healthcare services.

Recognition of political refugee status: Official recognition of the camp’s residents as “political refugees.”

International intervention: A call for the United Nations (UN) to “fulfill its role” by formally warning the Iraqi government and regional authorities.

The KCDK-E also called on the international community, particularly the Kurdish diaspora in Europe, to show solidarity with Maxmur.