afrinpost-Exclusive
The Gazze Destek Organization G.D.D, based in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, announced on February 1, 2024, through a video posted on its official Facebook page, that it, in coordination with the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, continues to work on building a residential village in the village of Kuran in the Jindires district. The project aims to accommodate those affected by the earthquake, with only 20 houses remaining to complete the project.
According to the weekly documentation report issued by the Yekiti Kurdistan Party (Yekîtî) on January 3, 2024, the project covers an area of 15,000 m2 and includes 40 houses, each with an area of 100 m2, consisting of two rooms, facilities, and a garden.
The project site was previously agricultural land and an olive grove, purchased from the citizen “Nabi Murad” from the people of the town of Kafr Safra, located between Yalanqoz and the town of Jindires with 325 olive trees uprooted to establish the settlement.
On its official website, the Gazze Destek Organization G.D.D constantly promotes the projects it implements and requests donations to contribute to them. Similarly, all institutions and associations involved in the settlement plan also engage in this effort. Thus, the Turkish authorities implement a policy of demographic change in the Kurdish region at zero cost. Many construction institutions are involved in it for investment purposes, reaping the benefits of these projects.
Earthquake as a Pretext for Settlement Projects
The Turkish authorities exploited the circumstances created by the earthquake and the international support and solidarity with the affected people. They increased the pace of settlement construction to solidify demographic change. The substantial funds flowing from charities and local organizations for earthquake relief were diverted to projects building settlements through Turkish institutions. After the earthquake, Afrin witnessed a surge in settlement construction, doubling what it was in previous years.
During the period following the earthquake until the end of 2023, the number of villages built by international and local organizations in the Afrin region exceeded 25 settlements. Seven settlements were built near the village of Ghazawiyah between May and August last year, and another eight settlements in the Hersh Al-Khalidiya or Mount Lelûn (Al-Ahlam) area southeast of Afrin. Five settlements were built in the Jindires district, while the remaining settlements were scattered across the areas of Sheikh al-Hadid, Ma’batli, and Sharan.
Overall, the residential projects built under the pretext of supporting earthquake victims did not target any of the Kurdish citizens who were thrown into the open by the earthquake disaster, their homes reduced to rubble.
Latest Settlements
On January 23, 2024, the Turkish NGO “Orange” inaugurated a settlement called “Al-Salam Residential Village” in the Hersh Qatma area in the Sharan district, in coordination with the Turkish organization “AFAD” and the local council of Sharan. According to the project engineer, “Ali al-Jaro,” the targeted individuals are earthquake victims, and the number of housing units is 315.
On the same day, January 23, 2024, the Deniz Feneri Association, also Turkish, announced the construction of a settlement named Deniz Feneri in cooperation with the Global Mercy Foundation (GRF). The settlement consists of 200 brick/concrete houses with infrastructure, a mosque, a school, and a religious institute, covering an area of approximately 4 hectares, after clearing the forest trees, at the Qazaqli Shrine site in Jindires.
