ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Five representatives of Makhmour refugee camp have been detained in Baghdad since they visited the capital two weeks ago to raise concerns about a siege on the camp with the Iraqi Justice Ministry, a camp official told Rudaw on Thursday. The five-member delegation had visited the ministry to raise objections over what they called “the blockade imposed by the Iraqi government,” a camp official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Makhmour camp, located southwest of Erbil, was established in 1998 and is home to around 10,000 Kurdish refugees from southeast Turkey, most of whom were displaced during Turkey’s conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) when their villages were depopulated. Camp officials say the Iraqi government has imposed a siege on the camp since April 10, barring residents from going to work or accessing hospitals. Many residents' refugee cards expired two years ago and have not been renewed, preventing them from passing through checkpoints. Camp supervisors say that students are not allowed to enroll in Iraqi universities. Residents of the camp have held demonstrations against the blockade, Hawar News Agency (ANHA), affiliated with the Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava), reported in mid-May. Turkey believes the camp is linked to the PKK. In 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described it as an “incubation center for terrorism” and Turkish airstrikes and drone attacks have previously targeted alleged PKK positions in the area. The PKK said that it deployed forces to Makhmour camp in 2014 to defend the area from the Islamic State (ISIS), which had taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria at the time. The camp is located in an area disputed between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), contributing to a security vacuum. The PKK announced that it withdrew its fighters from the area in October 2023. The PKK is a Kurdish armed group that has fought the Turkish state for decades, seeking greater rights for Kurds. It is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey. Last year, under pressure from Ankara, the Iraqi government officially banned the PKK. On May 12, the PKK announced its decision to dissolve itself.
