MERSIN - Çukurova Migration Monitoring and Research Association (Çukurova GÖÇ-DER) Co-chair Mehmet Ali Oral stated that the process cannot move forward without the removal of village guards, mined areas and grazing bans, saying, "Three million people are waiting for a solution to return to their villages."

 

Within the scope of the Peace and Democratic Society Process, the Kurdish Freedom Movement has withdrawn its guerrilla forces, reducing the risk of potential conflict. However, there has been no concrete step taken by the state. Another fundamental issue awaiting a solution is the return of forced migrants and the reconstruction of villages. 

 

Mehmet Ali Oral, Co-Chair of the Çukurova GÖÇ-DER, recalled the century-long policy of forced migration and the obstacles to return, stating that peace is only possible through genuine confrontation. He stated that the migration debates in Turkey are a result of a century of state policies, emphasising that forced migration and compulsory migration remain the most fundamental distinction today. 

 

Recalling that the forced migration practices that lasted from 1925 to the 1990s displaced millions of people, Oral said: "The burning of villages and the execution of people dates back to 1925. In the founding years of the Republic, a compulsory resettlement law was enacted, and these practices continued into the 1930s, 1938s, 1950s, and 1990s. 3 thousand 428 villages and hamlets were burned down, and nearly three million people were exiled to metropolitan areas between 1990 and 2024. How will the return of three million people whose villages were burned, whose lands were taken, and whose livestock were destroyed be ensured? If social peace is to be achieved, the state must apologise to this people."

 

STEPS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN

 

Oral stated that return is not merely a political decision, and that millions of people cannot return without the practical obstacles in the villages being removed. He stated that the village guard system, mined areas and grazing bans make return practically impossible, saying, "For a people to be able to return to their villages, the obstacles created by the village guards must be removed. Our people cannot cultivate their land, raise livestock, or farm. The state has grazing and forest bans, and there are mined areas; these must be lifted and cleared. The state must rebuild the homes it destroyed. If economic and settlement opportunities are provided, people will return to their villages. Young people in metropolitan areas face problems such as drug addiction, theft, and prostitution."

 

'THE PEOPLE WILL NOT TRUST A COMMISSION THAT DOES NOT MEET WITH ÖCALAN'

 

Oral stated that the transfer of the process initiated by Abdullah Öcalan to Parliament signalled a critical period and emphasised that the commission should be treated as a solution commission rather than an ordinary structure. 

 

Oral stressed  that the public's expectation was for the process to be completed swiftly and for the conditions for return to be established, and concluded: "Our people want the issue to be resolved as soon as possible; three million of our migrants want to return to their villages. Now, does the state want to ensure social peace, prolong the process, or make legal regulations? If it is legal regulation, it will be long-term. No regulation will be valid without being discussed in Parliament. As the migration platform, we submitted our report to Parliament. We hope it will not be like past research reports. The main interlocutor is Mr Abdullah Öcalan. A commission that does not meet with him will not produce a credible report, and the people will not believe it. The only interlocutor is the Kurdish People's Leader, Mr Abdullah Öcalan. Only then will the report prepared by the commission achieve its purpose."

 

MA / Abdulkadir Ayten