The 2016 siege of Sur, also known as the Sur curfew took place as part of the

Kurdish–Turkish conflict Kurdish nationalist uprisings have periodically occurred in Turkey, beginning with the Turkish War of Independence and the consequent transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish state and continuing to the present day with the curr ...

in Sur district of Diyarbakir in Turkey, lasting for more than 3 months and destroying much of the neighbourhood. Heavy artillery and

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

fire was utilized during clashes in the city involving the

Turkish army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...

and police against the Kurdish militants. At least 25 people had been killed in Sur by early March 2016, with rights groups reporting more than 200 killed by the end of the siege on 10 March. The HDP party said that most of the casualties were civilians.

Background

In August 2015, local Kurdish politicians announced autonomous self-rule in Sur, one of several attempts at Kurdish autonomy in the region at the time.

Turkish police The General Directorate of Security ( tr, Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü) or Turkish Police Service ( tr, Türk Polis Teşkilatı) is the national civilian police force responsible for law enforcement of the Republic of Turkey, which is affiliated w ...

used

plastic bullet A plastic bullet or plastic baton round (PBR) is a non-lethal projectile fired from a specialised gun. Although designed as a non-lethal weapon, they have caused a number of deaths when used incorrectly. Plastic bullets are generally used for ...

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

and

water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining ...

s against thousands of demonstrators protesting the

curfew A curfew is a government order specifying a time during which certain regulations apply. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to ''not'' be in public places or on roads within a certain time frame, typically in the evening and ...

in Diyarbakır. Daily curfews were imposed on several towns in the region as a result. The curfew in Sur began on 11 December 2015.

Siege

In late February and early March 2016, Turkish police again used plastic bullets, tear gas and water cannons against thousands of demonstrators protesting the curfew in Diyarbakır. Human rights groups,

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s, local trade organisations and EU parliamentarians had asked the Turkish authorities to allow for a 24-hour suspension of the curfew and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, so that civilians still trapped inside embattled parts of Sur can safely be evacuated. Diyarbakır's governor agreed to suspend fire for one and a half hours on consecutive days in the city, during which the police used loudspeakers to demand everyone still living amid the ruined buildings to surrender, but many feared the consequences of surrendering.

Outcome

A report by Turkey's main opposition, the Republican People's Party, revealed that by late February 2016 about 80% of all buildings inside the Sur curfew zone had been destroyed, and that most people had left even the intact parts of the neighbourhood for fear of the violence. At least 25 people were killed in the siege of Sur, with rights groups claiming the death toll at more than 200. The HDP party claimed that most of the casualties in Sur were civilians.

References

2015 in Turkey 2016 in Turkey 2010s in Diyarbakır December 2015 events in Turkey February 2016 events in Turkey January 2016 events in Turkey Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present) March 2016 events in Turkey Sur Sur Sur Military operations involving Turkey Battles in 2016 Battles in 2015 Military history of Diyarbakır {{DEFAULTSORT:Sur, 2016

Background

Siege

Outcome

See also

References