JINHA

AMED- Shelling has continued on the 79th day of siege in the Sur district of Diyarbakır. A citizen named Seda called her neighbor and said she had been trapped in a basement of Sur with her four-month-old baby Elif.

For 79 days, a blockade and nonstop attacks have continued in the Sur district of Diyarbakır. Since then, there has been no information about the residents. However, yesterday, Dicle News Agency (DİHA) reporter Mazlum Dolan sent several SMS messages about the residents trapped in basements in Sur. Mazlum reported that there were four-month-old babies, elderly people, women and wounded in the basements. At least 200 people had to take refuge in several basements in the town.

Four-month-old Elif Sur could be one of these babies. Elif Sur has been trapped in Sur with her mother during the blockade. Our agency met with Sur resident Seda four months ago while covering news in Sur. Seda told us that she had come to Sur to build a new life away from male violence. YPS forces and the people of Sur had helped her and that with their aid, she began to live with an elderly woman.

Seda caught our attention because she was pregnant, and we spoke with her. At the time, she told us that she would never leave the town because the people of Sur had helped her. We last saw Seda and her newborn baby Elif Sur (born four months ago) before the declaration of the 24-hour curfew.

Seda called one of her neighbors most recently four days ago. She said that, “They are shelling Sur. We are waiting in a basement with my baby and other residents. They are shelling somewhere near here. They will kill me and my baby. Save us before they kill us."

(be-ny/gc/gd)