MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed (Diyarbakır)- The fire that sparked by an electrical fault in an area between Mardin’s Şemrex (Mazıdağı) district and Amed’s Xana Akpar (Çınar) district on June 20,2024, killed 15 citizens. Most of these citizens were killed while trying to extinguish the fire or protect their animals. The people living in the villages affected by the fire react to the late response to the fire that injured many citizens, burned 66 kilometers of agricultural land and killed more than 900 animals. Although the villagers demanded a fire helicopter to extinguish the fire at night, the fire helicopter was sent to the area in the morning after the villagers transferred dead bodies from the area. The villagers are going to file a lawsuit against the Dicle Electric Distribution Company (DEDAŞ).

They were subjected to racist attacks while working as seasonal workers

The investigation launched by the prosecution into the fire continues. According to the received reports, the villagers in the area began to be engaged in agriculture in their villages after working as seasonal workers in the west of Türkiye for years. The citizens in Kelekê (Yücebağ) village, where 10 villagers were killed in the fire, were subjected to racist attacks in 2020 while working as seasonal workers in the west of Türkiye. After being beaten and threatened with death in a city, they decided to be engaged in agriculture in their village. However, they faced power and water outrages while cultivating their agricultural lands. To solve this problem, they began to use solar panels to cultivate their lands.

‘People were left to their fate’

Kudret Uzun, council member of the municipality in Xana Akpar, told us that they were on the ground since the first moment of the fire. “The citizens and municipalities extinguished the fire,” she said. “The fire turned into a disaster due to negligence. The strong wind led the fire to spread fast. The fire was sparked by an electrical fault. Despite the efforts of the people and municipalities, the fire was not extinguished until morning because there was no fire helicopter. The people were left to their fate. If the people had not responded to the fire, it would have spread to other districts. We have lost many people and now we are trying to heal the wounds of the people.

Kudret Uzun pointed out that the people in the area were left alone during and after the fire. “It was a disaster. Families are out of patience because their children were close to death until morning. They were left to die. There is serious discrimination due to the special war policies carried out in the region by the state.”

‘We must stop this policy of depopulation’

Medya Alkan, Co-chair of the Mesopotamia Association for Research on Migration and Displacement (GÖÇ-DER) Amed Branch, drew attention to the possible risk of displacement in the region. “We can say that the aim is to depopulate the area. A special war policy has been recently implemented in the region. We should discuss how we can solve the problems faced by the people in the area affected by the fire. There was no immediate response to the fire and this is not normal. The late response to the fire shows us that a policy of depopulation is being implemented in the region. We must stop this policy of depopulation.”