| Kurdish Refugee Crisis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnic persecution, wars, and displacements of the Kurdish population Part ofIraqi–Kurdish conflict,Kurdish–Turkish conflict, and theSyrian Civil War | ||||
 Kurdish refugees fromKobanî in a refugee camp, on the Turkish side of theSyria–Turkey border | ||||
| Date | 20th century–present | |||
| Location | ||||
| Caused by | Ethnic conflict, state-led persecution, wars, and political uprisings | |||
| Goals | Protection and survival of Kurdish communities; seeking asylum and international recognition | |||
| Methods | Forced displacement, protests, rebellions, and international asylum-seeking | |||
| Status | Ongoing | |||
| Parties | ||||
| ||||
| Lead figures | ||||
Various Kurdish political and military leaders
International humanitarian groups | ||||
| Number | ||||
| ||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||
| ||||
| Estimated casualties | ||||
| Buildings destroyed | Thousands of homes and infrastructure destroyed | |||
| The Kurdish refugee crisis remains one of the most protracted and unresolved in modern history. | ||||
The problem ofKurdish refugees and displaced people arose in the 20th century in theMiddle East, and continues today. TheKurds (Kurdish:کورد, Kurd), are an ethnic group inWestern Asia, mostly inhabiting a region known asKurdistan, which includes adjacent parts ofIran,Iraq,Syria, andTurkey.
Displacements of Kurds had already been happening within theOttoman Empire, on the pretext of suppressingKurdish rebellions, over the period of its domination of the northernFertile Crescent and the adjacent areas of theZagros andTaurus Mountains. In the early 20th century, theChristian minorities of the Ottoman Empire suffered genocide (especially during theFirst World War and theTurkish War of Independence), and many Kurds whose tribes were perceived to oppose the Turks were displaced at the same time.[1]
In Iraq, suppression of Kurdish aspirations for autonomy and independence have descended into armed conflict since the 1919Mahmud Barzanji revolt. Displacement of people became most severe during theIraqi-Kurdish conflict and the parallelArabization programs of theBa'athist regime,[2] which looked to cleanseIraqi Kurdistan of its Kurdish majority. Tens of thousands of Kurds became displaced and fled the war zones following theFirst andSecond Kurdish Iraqi Wars in the 1960s and 1970s. TheIran–Iraq War of the 1980s, the firstGulf War in the early 1990s, and subsequent rebellions altogether created several million primarily Kurdish refugees, who mostly found refuge in Iran, while others dispersed into theKurdish diaspora in Europe and the Americas. Iran alone provided asylum for 1,400,000 Iraqi refugees, mostly Kurds, who had been uprooted as a result of the Persian Gulf War (1990–91) and the subsequent rebellions. Today, a large portion of the Kurdish population is composed of Kurdish refugees and displaced and their descendants.
For decades, Saddam Hussein 'Arabized' northern Iraq.[2] Sunni Arabs have driven out at least 70,000 Kurds from theMosul’s western half.[3] Nowadays, eastern Mosul is Kurdish and western Mosul is Sunni Arab.[4]
1.5 to 2 million Kurds were forcibly displaced by Arabization campaigns in Iraq between 1963 and 1987;[5] resulting in 10,000 to 100,000 deaths during the displacement.[5] This is not withstanding cases in which Kurds were outright executed such as during theAnfal genocide or other[6] events.
In 1991, when suppression of Kurdish rebellion in the north was initiated by Saddam and massacres of the Kurdish population appeared, Turkey ended being host to 200,000 Iraqi Kurds in a few days.[7][8] Four days later, 1,500 refugees had died from exposure. One month later, the vast majority of refugees returned to Iraq.[7] Following the 1991 uprising of the Iraqi people against Saddam Hussein, many Kurds were forced to flee the country to become refugees in bordering regions of Iran and Turkey. A northern no-fly zone was established following the First Gulf War in 1991 to facilitate the return of Kurdish refugees.
1.5 million Kurds were displaced during the1991 uprisings in Iraq[9] with cities likeTuz Khormato having a rate of displacement as high as 90%; at least 48,400[10] Kurds starved to death due to displacements possibly 140,600.[10]
In total up to 3,000,000 people (mainly Kurds) have been displaced in theKurdish–Turkish conflict,[11] an estimated 1,000,000 of which were still internally displaced as of 2009.[12]
Large-scale confrontations between Iranian military and PJAK resulted also in displacement of Kurdish civilians. By July 26, more than 50 PJAK fighters and 8 Revolutionary Guards had been killed,[13] and at least 100 PJAK fighters had been wounded according to Iranian sources,[14] while over 800 people had been displaced by the fighting.[15][verification needed]
After the 2004 events in Qamishli, thousands of Kurds fled Syria to theKurdish Region of Iraq.[16] Local authorities there, the UNHCR and other UN agencies established the Moqebleh camp at a former Army base near Dohuk.
In response to the crisis in Syria, the Kurdish Regional Government and UNHCR established the Domiz Refugee Camp, across the border from Kurdish Syrian territories in the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. The camp, which is majority Kurdish, accommodates thousands of Syrian Kurds, offering shelter and medical care. A nearby camp offers men the option of military training, with the intention of protecting Kurdish-held territories in Syria.[17]
As of result of the Kobane crisis in September 2014, most of the Syrian Kurdish population of theKobane Canton fled into Turkey. More than 300,000 Syrian refugees are estimated to have flowed into Turkey.[18]
According to a report by theCouncil of Europe, approximately 1.3 million Kurds live inWestern Europe. The earliest immigrants were Kurds from Turkey, who settled inGermany,Austria, theBenelux countries,Great Britain,Switzerland andFrance during the 1960s. Successive periods of political and social turmoil in the region during the 1980s and 1990s brought new waves of Kurdish refugees, mostly from Iran and Iraq under Saddam Hussein, came to Europe.[19] In recent years, many Kurdish asylum seekers from both Iran and Iraq have settled in the United Kingdom (especially in the town ofDewsbury and in some northern areas ofLondon), which has sometimes caused media controversy over their right to remain.[20] There have been tensions between Kurds and the established Muslim community in Dewsbury,[21][22] which is home to very traditional mosques such as theMarkazi. Since the beginning of the turmoil in Syria many of therefugees of the Syrian Civil War areSyrian Kurds and as a result many of the current Syrian asylum seekers in Germany are of Kurdish descent.[23][better source needed][dead link][24][better source needed][dead link]
There was substantial immigration of ethnic Kurds inCanada and theUnited States, who are mainly political refugees and immigrants seeking economic opportunity. According to a2011 Statistics Canada household survey, there were 11,685 people of Kurdish ethnic background living inCanada,[25] and according to the 2011 Census, more than 10,000 Canadians spoke Kurdish language.[26] In the United States, Kurdish immigrants started to settle in large numbers inNashville in 1976,[27] which is now home to the largest Kurdish community in the United States and is nicknamedLittle Kurdistan.[28] Kurdish population in Nashville is estimated to be around 11,000.[29] Total number of ethnic Kurds residing in the United States is estimated by theUS Census Bureau to be around 15,000.[30]
The Japanese government has not granted refugee status to any of theKurds in Japan who usually file it citing human rights issues and persecution in Turkey and resulted in them living in destitution, with no education and having no legal residency status.[31]
A clash took place outside the Turkish embassy in Tokyo in October 2015 between Kurds andTurks in Japan which began when the Turks assaulted the Kurds after a Kurdish party flag was shown at the embassy.[32][33]
Almost all of the Kurdish Jews from northern Iraq, estimated at around 30,000 in 1950, were evacuated to Israel during OperationEzra and Nehemiah. Many of these Kurdish Jews self-identified as part of the Kurdish nation, despite their Jewish ethnicity and religion. Some of them continue to identify as Kurds even today. The exodus was part of a broader movement of 150,000 Iraqi and Kurdish Jews who were encouraged to leave Iraq in 1950 by the Iraqi government, which had ultimately ordered the expulsion of Jews who refused to sign a statement renouncing Zionism.[34][35][36][37]
A significant number of Kurdish Jews were part of the larger exodus of Jews from Iran in the 1950s, with only small communities remaining today in Sanandaj and Mahabad. Most of the newly arriving Kurdish Jews were initially housed in Israeli transition camps known asMaabarot, which were later incorporated intodevelopment towns. These camps provided a temporary solution as Kurdish Jews were integrated into Israeli society.[38][39]
Today, the Kurdish Jewish community in Israel is estimated at 150,000-200,000 strong and continues to play a significant role in Israeli society, particularly in areas such as culture, politics, and business.[40][41][42]
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