JINHA

MÊRDÎN - The people's struggle has continued in the Nusaybin district of Mardin under the leadership of women. Mother Sara lives in the Zeynelabidin neighborhood of Nusaybin where is known as a historic neighborhood of resistance. Sara makes bread and stocks them to make preparation for "curfew".

The resistance has continued for months particularly in Kışla, Zeynelabidin, Yenişehir, Abdulkadirpaşa, Fırat and Dicle neighborhoods and all other neighborhoods of Nusaybin, Mardin province. The residents of the town have lived under the shadow of armored vehicles which have blockaded the town for months. Muğdat Ay (12) was killed on February 14 by state forces. Since then, the residents start to strengthen the barricades in the neighborhoods. The resistance has continued under the leadership of the women. One of the pioneer women, Sara Kaya who is well knonw as Sara, mother of the Zeynelabidin neighborhood. She lived in the Hermêsê (Turkish: Yatlıköy) village of Nusaybin. The village was burned by Turkish state forces and Hezbollah in 1990s. Then she faced to leave her village. She took an active role in Peace Mothers in 2000. She becomes a pioneer woman in the struggle with her mission in the Peace Mothers.

Sara said, "My brothers Hemdin Kaya and Mecit Kaya were killed by Hezbollah at the beginning of the street in front of everyone's eyes. Everyone stayed silent. We were poor people in that period. My brother Mecit was heavily wounded. He was dying. If we had been able to retrieved him to hospital, he would be alive now. He remained on the street for hours. We could retrieve him to hospital hours later. However, it was late. He couldn't be saved. My neighbors had to stay silent that time."

Meanwhile, Sara's brother in law was killed in Batman in 1992 by Hezbollah. "Hezbollah didn't badger us to death. My brother in law was father of four. They killed him on behalf of religion. However, each attack has angered us even more. My husband's sister went to mountain. Her nom de guerre is Medya Maba now. She is a commander."

Sara said that Kurdish people got nothing to lose, they have no other alternative but resist. "Kurdish people have no other alternative but resist. We couldn't say something against the oppression in the past. However, the Kurdish people are a conscious people now to resist."

(zd/gd)