Reactions against the trench being dug at the border between Nusaybin-Qamislo by Turkish military are growing.

The trench which soldiers have started to dig recently comes as a continuation of the “wall” of shame constructed at the same border line between Qamislo town of Cizîrê canton and Nusaybin district of Mardin in 2013. Although the reason of the entrenching is alleged to be “ensuring security and preventing the crossing of the civilians”, the trench will isolate the two cities from each other.

The length of the 3 meters deep and 2 meters wide ditch has exceeded one kilometer so far.

Criticising the entrenching for separating the people from each other and being “the biggest shame of Turkey”, DBP, HDP and Municipality of Nusaybin are preparing to protest the trenches by taking to the streets.

'The aim is to inhibit Rojava Revolution'

DBP Party Assembly member and KJA activist Xecê Şen said the trench dug at the Nusaybin-Qamislo border demonstrates once again the support given by the AKP government to ISIS gangs and added that the entrenching had been planned months ago by the government. Şen stated that the aim of the trenches is very clear, that is “to hinder the Rojava Revolution and the struggle waged there and thus to impede the joint defence of the peoples of North Kurdistan and Rojava”.

Şen added that the Turkish state resorts to such a plan in order to take an active role at the whole borderline from Nusaybin to Kobanê. Şen also criticised the prevention of the crossings into Rojava by the state and stressed that the biggest aim is to divide the peoples of Kurdistan for the second time.

'Women must rise up against trenches'

Şen said the trenches are being dug with an intention to make them “a grave of the Kurds”, and stressed that the Kurdish women call on the women of the world and the whole world public opinion to protest the trenches. She added that there is no humanitarian or ethical dimension of the entrenching at the border.

Turkey digs trenches while the world destroys the walls

Nusaybin co-mayor Sara Kaya on the other hand recalled that trenches had been dug many times at Nusaybin-Qamislo border previously, to which the people had always reacted strongly. Kaya stressed that the aim of the trenches is to separate the peoples of Kurdistan and added that they will wage a major struggle against the digging of the trenches which she called “the biggest shame of Turkey” while the rest of the world is destroying the walls. Kaya said the entrenching must be stopped immediately and the trenches dug so far must be filled back.

'Trenches are an update of mined borders'

HDP Party Assembly member Nazım Kök also reacted strongly to the trenches calling them an update of the walls constructed between the people. Kök said the mentality dividing the people in the Middle East through artificial borders continues today with the AKP government.

Kök stressed that the trenches are dug against the exchange of democracy and freedom experiences between the peoples which -he noted- had previously been attempted by laying mines at the borderlines. Kök said neither mines nor the trenches would be able to prevent the solidarity of the peoples adding that the attempt to divide the Binxet and Serxetî is not humanitarian. He stressed that the trenches are being dug with a nation-state mindset.