JINHA

NEWS CENTER – The Iraqi Kurdistan government has denied permission to members of the Ishtar Women's Assembly, a group of women from the Maxmur Refugee Camp, to cross the border to Rojava. The women are being held at the Semalka Border Gate.

A 13-woman delegation from the refugee camp in Maxmur, located in the southern part of Kurdistan, intend to attend the March 8 celebrations in Rojava, but the ruling KDP has denied them permission to cross the border. The women, who set out on March 6, had received official permission to cross. No reason has been given for the denial.

According to BermalColemerg, a member of coordination for the Ishtar Women's Assembly and municipal co-chair of the ŞehitRüstemCudi Refugee Camp in Maxmur, "We've been waiting in the cold since yesterday. This is an arbitrary decision. The security at the border gate won't answer our phone calls." Bermal says that if no change happens in the next few hours, the group will have to take further action.

The South Kurdistan official responsible, ŞewketBerbihari, is not responding to inquiries. His phone has recently been disconnected.

(fk/cm)