20 Mar 2018 | 03:32 AM UTC
Turkey: Nationwide Kurdish Nowruz celebrations March 20-21
Nationwide Kurdish Nowruz celebrations on March 20-21; anticipate increased security presence
Event
Kurdish communities throughout Turkey will celebrate Nowruz, marking the start of the new year, on Tuesday, March 20, and Wednesday, March 21. The main celebrations are expected to be held in Sirnak, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Hatay, Siirt, Tunceli and Hakkari provinces.
A heightened security presence is anticipated throughout Turkey, especially in the above-mentioned regions, as tensions are high between the Turkish state and Kurdish communities. On Friday March 16, Turkish security forces announced they had detained 47 Kurds in Adana province. According to security officials, the suspects were members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - a group considered as a terrorist organization by Turkish government.
Context
Nowruz is annually celebrated in Kurdish communities to mark the start of the new year and the beginning of spring.
Tensions between the Turkish state and Kurdish populations have intensified since the launch of Operation Olive Branch on January 20. The operation aims to target the People's Protection Units militia (YPG) - considered by Ankara as a terrorist organization and ally of the outlawed PKK - in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria. Turkey has faced a Kurdish insurgency since 1984, spearheaded by the PKK. The conflict has killed over 40,000 people in the decades since and associated violence continues to pose a security risk in Turkey.
Advice
Individuals in Turkey are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all protests and demonstrations as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.
On a separate note, due to the Turkish government's ongoing conflicts with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as well as the Islamic State (IS), some Western governments advise against travel to areas along the Syrian border and to the city of Diyarbakar, as well as nonessential travel to other areas in the provinces of Şırnak, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Kilis, Hatay, Siirt, Tunceli, and Hakkâri.
