ŞIRNEX - The forest area is being destroyed by the village rangers in the village of Sorbitnê at the foot of the Cûdî Mountain. One of the residents of the village, İlyas Yağan, said that a de facto ban is applied in their village, which was evacuated in the 90s.

 

Tree felling of the Besta region of Şirnex(Şırnak) and the Cûdî, Gabar and Cilênimeja mountains, carried out by the rangers under the supervision of soldiers, has been continuing for 3 years without interruption. It was learned that tree felling was also carried out in the villages of Biliga, Girêçolya, Sorbitnê, Hesena and Gera Mihetnê, located at the foot of the Cûdî Mountain and in the Silopiya (Silopi) district of Şirnex. The slaughter is carried out by the village rangers brought from the Sêgirkê (Şenoba) town of Qileban (Uludere) district.

 

In addition to cutting trees in the region, many regions on the slopes of the mountain are set on fire by the soldiers for "security" reasons. On July 26, fire was set in the forest area between the Sorbitnê village near the military posts and the Gera Mihetnê region. It was stated that the fire, which had not intervened for two days, went out on its own.

 

70-year-old İlyas Yagan, who lives in the village of Sorbitnê, stated that their village was evacuated by the state in the 90s and they were forced to migrate, adding that today their forests are burned and a de facto ban is applied in their villages.

 

THE CUTTING OF TREES CONTINUES UNINTERRUPTEDLY 

 

Stating that they can make crops in their villages within a certain limit, and that the upper parts of the village are prohibited under the name of 'security', Yağan said: "The rangers brought from the town of Sêgirgê have been cutting trees in the forbidden areas for more than 3 years. Thousands of tons of trees have been cut down by the rangers and they are still cutting them. At the same time, tree cutting continues uninterruptedly in Girêçolya, which is a neighbor to our village, and in many points.”

 

'THE STATE CUT THE TREES THEN  BURN THEM'

 

Stating that no one was consulted while the trees were being cut down in their village, Yağan said: “What right do they have to do this? The state insult us by cutting down our trees. In the past, there were many fruit trees such as pistachio, almond, walnut trees in our village and they provided us with an income. They used to set our trees on fire. Now they cut down these trees and sell them. Our nature and lands are being destroyed. The area where the trees were cut down was banned on the grounds of a 'conflict' zone. We don't want a conflict or anyone to die. Let peace be established and this conflicting process come to an end. The trees should not be cut down and our nature not destroyed any more. A tree is also a life. No one is willing to cut down even a tree."

 

'NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATURE'

 

Underlining that the sensitivity shown in the fires in the cities of Turkey is not shown in the fires in the Kurdistan region, Yağan said: “When there is a fire in the West, all efforts are made to put out the fire by uniting with the military, helicopter and civilian. They even prevent people who want to intervene, let alone extinguish the fire. Why do they make the difference between fires? There should be no difference between natures."

 

MA / Mehmet Güleş