JINHA

MÊRDÎN - Since August 16, local people in the largely Kurdish province of Mardin have been standing vigil to prevent clashes between Turkish forces and guerrillas. Women on Mt. Bagok called for all to stand up against war.

Mt. Bagok is located near the town of Nusaybin, in Mardin province. On August 16, fearing possible clashes between soldiers and guerrillas on the mountain, the people of Mardin headed up the mountain to hold a vigil for peace. By camping out on the mountain, the people hope to be "human shields" to prevent either side from fighting in the area.

Fearing that the state might bomb the local graveyard for guerrillas as they have in the past, the group set up their vigil among the cemetery walls. While they spend nights under the stars singing songs and debating the latest developments in Kurdistan, they spend their days managing their lives as a collective.

"They've declared all of Kurdistan a forbidden [military] zone," said Adulê Aksoy, a member of the local assembly in the Artuklu area of Mardin. "So we came to Mt. Bagok, so that no one would die."

Xezal Yüksel is the director for the district of Artuklu for the Democratic Regions Party (DBP). "The state basically drinks blood; they're doing [military] operations to protect their own throne. 'However many operations there are, that's how many votes we get,' that's what they say," said Xezal.

Although Xezal is Kurdish, her own son has completed mandatory military service. However, she noted, the politicians calling for war have escaped military service for their own children. She said it was difficult to say how it felt to be standing among the graves of guerrillas.

"Hundreds of our youth lie in the ground here; some of them, we don't even know where they're buried. We just want this blood to stop," said Xezal.

(pk-rk/gc/cm)