Siege of Sur (2016)

Siege of Sur
Part of Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
Date 3 December 2015[1] – 10 March 2016[2] (3 months and 1 week) Location Sur, Diyarbakir, Turkey Result 80% of Sur destroyed
Belligerents
Turkey Jandarma Turkish Police Force Turkish Army 1st Commando Brigade	Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) YDG-H
Casualties and losses
71 security personnel killed 523 wounded[3]	271 militants killed (Turkish claim) [4]
at least 25 civilians deaths (estimate)[1]

The 2016 siege of Sur, also known as the Sur curfew took place as part of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict in Sur district of Diyarbakir in Turkey, lasting for more than 3 months and destroying much of the neighbourhood.^[1] Heavy artillery and machine gun fire was utilized^[1] during clashes in the city involving the Turkish army and police against the Kurdish militants. At least 25 people had been killed in Sur by early March 2016,^[1] with rights groups reporting more than 200 killed by the end of the siege on 10 March.^[2] The HDP party said that most of the casualties were civilians.^[2]

Background

In August 2015, local Kurdish politicians announced autonomous self-rule in Sur,^[5] one of several attempts at Kurdish autonomy in the region at the time. Turkish police used plastic bullets, tear gas and water cannons against thousands of demonstrators protesting the curfew in Diyarbakır. Daily curfews were imposed on several towns in the region as a result.^[6] The curfew in Sur began on 11 December 2015.^[6]

Siege

In late February and early March 2016, Turkish police again used plastic bullets, tear gas and water cannons against thousands of demonstrators protesting the curfew in Diyarbakır.^[1] Human rights groups, NGOs, local trade organisations and EU parliamentarians had asked the Turkish authorities to allow for a 24-hour suspension of the curfew and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, so that civilians still trapped inside embattled parts of Sur can safely be evacuated. Diyarbakır's governor agreed to suspend fire for one and a half hours on consecutive days in the city, during which the police used loudspeakers to demand everyone still living amid the ruined buildings to surrender, but many feared the consequences of surrendering.^[1]

Outcome

A report by Turkey's main opposition, the Republican People's Party, revealed that by late February 2016 about 80% of all buildings inside the Sur curfew zone had been destroyed, and that most people had left even the intact parts of the neighbourhood for fear of the violence.^[1] At least 25 people were killed in the siege of Sur,^[1] with rights groups claiming the death toll at more than 200.^[2] The HDP party claimed that most of the casualties in Sur were civilians.^[2]

See also

• Siege of Silvan (2015)
• 2015 Diyarbakır rally bombing

References

1. Sur, Turkey: residents pay price of violence as curfew enters fourth month Archived 2019-12-21 at the Wayback Machine Civilians caught in crossfire in district in Diyarbakır, where Turkish security forces have been trying to flush out Kurdish militants.
2. Turks welcome end of military operation in Sur, Diyarbakir Archived 2018-08-01 at the Wayback Machine.
3. ALTINTAŞ, Canan; SUNAR / DHA-, Serdar. "Sur'da operasyonlar bitti". www.hurriyet.com.tr. Archived from the original on 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
4. "Genelkurmay: Sur'da Toplam 271 Terörist Öldürüldü". 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
5. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Death and destruction in Diyarbakir | DW | 28.01.2016". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
6. "Indefinite 24-hour curfew, over 200,000 in danger — Amnesty Urgent Actions". ua.amnesty.ch. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2020-06-28.