Despite Peace Process Turkish State Continues Base Construction in Kurdish Regions

The Turkish State increased base construction in Kurdish regions of Turkey over the course of the PKK withdrawal that began last March as part of the peace process launched by Abdullah Öcalan, according to a  report from ANF. The withdrawal was part of a plan that envisioned a demilitarization of the conflict and the progression toward a democratic solution. However footage obtained by ANF confirms that the Turkish state used the withdrawal and ceasefire as an opportunity to reinforce existing military installations, and in some cases to build entirely new ones.

Most striking are the two large bases currently in construction in Oremar, a district of Yüksekova in Colemerg (Turkish: Hakkari). The bases consist of concrete blast walls, bunkers, and tunnels running to watch towers along its perimeters. Helicopter pads provide access to the sites, and the increased pace of construction suggests that the army wants to finish the projects before winter, according to the report.

The district has been the site of numerous battles between PKK guerrillas and the military in the past decades, and the construction of the new bases on “Martyr Zınar” and “Martyr Şiyar” hills – as the sites are known to the guerillas – call into question the state’s sincerity about a pursuing a peaceful solution to the nearly three-decade long conflict.