Kurds life under Erdogan and Saddam
Introduction
Forced Displacement and Demographic Changes
Saddam Hussein
Implemented the Al-Anfal campaign (1986-1989), resulting in the displacement of an estimated 182,000 Kurds.
Destroyed approximately 4,000 Kurdish villages.
Carried out mass deportations, including around 300,000 Fayli Kurds to Iran.
Erdogan
Launched military operations in northern Syria, displacing about 130,000 Kurds.
Plans to resettle millions of Syrian Arab refugees in Kurdish areas of Syria, potentially altering the region’s demographics.
Intensified attacks on northern Syria and Iraq, leading to civilian displacements.
Use of Violence and Military Force
Saddam Hussein
Mass Killings: Saddam was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 250,000 to 290,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch.
Campaign: In 1988, Saddam conducted a genocidal campaign against the Kurdish population, resulting in 50,000 to 182,000 deaths.
Chemical Weapons Attack: The notorious attack on Halabja in 1988 killed approximately 5,000 Kurds.
Persecution of Minorities: Systematic persecution of Kurds, Shi’ites, and other minority groups.
Erdogan
Launched military operations in Syria, resulting in civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure.
Conducted airstrikes on Kurdish targets in Syria and Iraq.
Intensified military campaigns against Kurds in Iraq, causing civilian deaths and displacements.
Political Repression
Saddam Hussein
Systematically persecuted Kurds, using violence, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances.
Erdogan
Cracked down on Kurdish politicians, replacing elected Kurdish mayors with state-appointed trustees.
Detained Kurdish lawyers, politicians, activists, and journalists.
Threatens to shut down the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
Cross-border Operations
Saddam Hussein
Primarily focused on internal repression and control of Kurdish areas within Iraq.
Erdogan
Conducts military operations against Kurds in Syria and Iraq.
Uses both direct military force and proxy militias in these operations.
International Relations
Saddam Hussein
Faced international condemnation and sanctions for his actions against Kurds.
Erdogan
Leverages Turkey’s NATO membership and geopolitical position to pursue his policies.
Pressures other countries to act against Kurdish groups abroad.
Conclusion
While both leaders have pursued policies detrimental to Kurdish populations, Erdogan’s actions, though severe, have not reached the genocidal scale of Saddam’s Al-Anfal campaign. However, Erdogan’s policies continue to evolve, with ongoing military operations and plans for demographic changes in Kurdish-populated areas raising significant concerns for the future of Kurdish communities in the region.
