GIRGA, Kurdistan Region — Aid was sent for the first time to displaced residents from Kesta and other nearby villages in Duhok’s Amedi district, following the evacuation of the villages. due to conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
"We are helping those families who have been displaced by the recent conflicts in the border areas of Duhok," Hoshang Mohamed Abdulrahman, Director General of the Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC) at the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) told Rudaw English on Thursday. "We get our information from Duhok's JCC and then we send them the aid."
Ali Abbas, a spokesperson from the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement, told Rudaw English, "We have recognized these people as internally displaced people. This is the first time we have sent aid to that region, specifically to the areas in the Duhok province on the Turkish border. We receive our reports from local officials. That's how we deliver our aid to the people."
Zaki Taha, one of the many displaced residents from Kesta, expressed the need of the locals to return to their villages. "The aid we received is helpful to some extent. But we urge the authorities to bring peace to our village so we can return. We have cultivated our farmlands, but they will dry up if we don't go back to tend to them."
Tahir Omar, a 48-year-old livestock farmer with two wives and 11 children, had to flee six kilometers to the village of Girga from Kesta with his family and a flock of 480 sheep because of conflict between the PKK and Turkey.
“Our village was very nice,” Omar said. “Since the invasion of the Turkish military in the Zinara, Kesta and Rade plains, our livelihood has been ruined. They would target our livestock sheds with machine gun fire. Our flock of sheep would constantly flee and disperse out of fear.
The mayor of the Kani Masi district urges the Iraqi government and the KRG to find a permanent solution. "The people of this area need help. We have given them support. We brought them the aid from the KRG and Baghdad, However, this aid is not a solution. There has to be a permanent solution from the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region presidency."
There were 32 families in Kesta and 19 in the Christian village of Chalke. Both of the villages have been evacuated due to the conflict. However, seven of the families of Kesta have since returned, despite the ongoing danger.
Reporting by Hunar Rasheed
Additional reporting by Sarkawt Mohammed and Dilan Sirwan
