DÊRSİM – Mehmet Kaş, a member of the Munzur Environment Association, warned that Dêrsim is being emptied of its people through mining, hydroelectric (HES), and solar power (GES) projects. “We must unite in struggle against this massacre,” he said.

 

Ecocide, carried out as part of a policy to depopulate Kurdistan, targets Dêrsim’s nature, religious centers, and cultural heritage. Over 100 mining projects threaten Dêrsim’s environment, alongside hydroelectric and solar power plants. Recently, a 60-kilometer area of the Munzur Mountains was declared a mining zone, where feasibility studies have begun for zinc, copper, and silver extraction near İksor village. 

 

Applications for pumice and sand quarries were approved near Xozat (Hozat) and Pertâg (Pertek), while drilling for the Tağar Dam began in Aliboğazı near the Hazarî village of Çemîşgezek district.

 

Mehmet Kaş described Dêrsim as facing a new and more dangerous attack through environmental destruction, following many past massacres. He noted that while environmental attacks occur across Turkey, those in Dêrsim are particularly severe. Environmental and democratic organizations will intensify their resistance. Kaş pointed out that half of Munzur Mountain, Geyiksuyu, Aliboğazı, Pîlemûriye (Pülümür), and areas of Xozat have been licensed and sold or leased for mining. Though work has not yet started, he warned that public reaction could halt these projects.

 

Kaş emphasized that state-backed mining and dam projects continue unabated, threatening all life in the region. Reflecting on Dêrsim’s history of massacres and forced displacements, he said, “Villages were emptied before, but this is different. Now the entire nature and all living beings are being harmed. It is a large-scale massacre aiming to depopulate and destroy nature. We who live here must stand against this, no matter the cost.”

 

Kaş highlighted that mining zones include villages and religious centers. “Those chasing money, fame, and power must face resistance from those defending the land, air, and water,” he said.

 

Stressing the importance of organized resistance to environmental destruction, Kaş added, “Attacks on nature happen all over Turkey, but the assault on Dêrsim is unique.”

 

He called on the people of Dêrsim to continue the struggle, emphasizing the need for a united front against ecocide: “We must unite in struggle against this massacre.”

 

MA / Şirvan Şilan Çil