Kurdistan border villagers call for peace

Shafaq News/ Residents of villages near the Turkish border, particularly in the Al-Amediya district of Duhok province, are pinning their hopes on a peace agreement between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish government.

Speaking to Shafaq News, villagers expressed optimism about a potential settlement, believing successful negotiations would allow them to return home and resume their livelihoods.

“We have waited for years to return and resume our traditional work—farming, and livestock herding, our main sources of income,” said Nizar Sanji, a resident of the now-abandoned village of Sanji, whose family was displaced over 30 years ago due to the conflict.

Civil activist Rêder Karoki, a resident of Al-Amediya, emphasized the disproportionate impact of the conflict on civilians. "Despite not being directly involved in the conflict, residents felt its consequences. Since 1991, nearly 200 villages in Amedi alone have been abandoned, displacing thousands and destroying livelihoods."

Political analyst Mohammed Amer Dêrshwî pointed out that a peace agreement would bring stability not only to border areas but to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole. "The decades-long conflict has devastated local economies, forcing thousands to flee and halting agricultural and tourism industries that once thrived."

However, Dêrshwî warned, “While challenges remain, lessons from past negotiations—particularly the absence of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan—could help shape a more successful peace process.”

Border village residents remain hopeful for a political breakthrough despite the situation, viewing stability as the key to "restoring their communities" and "reviving their long-standing agricultural and tourism heritage."