Aid workers in Turkey say the security situation is deteriorating, leaving them struggling to help those affected by the recent earthquake.
Germany’s International Search and Rescue (ISAR) told Reuters news agency in an email: “There are increasing reports of clashes between different groups, and shots are said to have been fired.” Turkish conservative daily KARAR covered the same concern with the headline “Security vulnerability grows: Crews started to leave the area”, reporting that following the foreign support groups that limited their search and rescue efforts in the disaster area on security grounds yesterday, İBB Mayor İmamoğlu warned about security risks, too.
ISAR operations manager Steven Bayer said the area was getting more unsafe, something he described as typical in such circumstances.
Speaking at a camp for rescue workers in the town of Kirikhan, he said: “That’s partly due to the fact that food is now running out, water supply is running out, and then people are out searching for food and water.
“A second thing is that the hope that people had is now increasingly fading, and that hope can then also turn into anger.”
KARAR: Security vulnerability grows: Crews started to leave the area
Following at least two foreign aid agencies that limited their search and rescue efforts in the disaster area on security grounds yesterday, İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu raised concerns about the security threat today. Claiming that many search and rescue teams have left the disaster areas, İmamoğlu said, “At this moment of dire need, the security issue should be the last thing we have to deal with.”
Eyewitness accounts from the region report citizens and rescue team being afraid to leave their shelters at night, for fear of being assaulted by armed gangs. Turkey’s anti-immigrant media pinned the blame on Syrian gangs looting stores and even desecrating corpses, which has already triggered numerous lynching attempts.
While many thousands citizens lost their lives in the earthquakes that paralyzed Turkey, even more of them are still waiting to be rescued under the rubble, or patrolling their homes and properties, because there is no police or gendarmerie keeping streets safe.
A huge number of voluntary domestic and foreign aid-rescue groups joined the search for ‘life’ among the rubble piles, as there is a growing recognition that the official emergency relief agency AFAD is not up to the challenge. While search and rescue teams came from many countries, it was reported that Austrian and German rescue teams suspended their efforts for ‘security reasons’ and returned to their base camps. An Austrian official, who made a statement later, stated that his teams started working in the earthquake area again.
“There are more and more reports of conflicts between different groups, and there are shootings,” the teams noted.
After these developments yesterday, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said that many support groups left the disaster area. Drawing attention to the issue of security, İmamoğlu recorded the following statements in his social media account:
“I am witnessing disturbing images in the earthquake zone, I am informed that there are many search, rescue and support groups that have left the area. Right now, the security issue should be the last thing we have to deal with. It is clear that much more attention is needed in this regard.
Experts suggest the Erdogan administration needs to declare Martial Law which will automatically authorize the Army to take over the security situation, as well as act as the coordinator of all rescue and relief efforts. Dissidents claim Erdogan is refusing to take this step, in fear of Army grabbing the public attention and undercutting the propaganda that the government’s relief efforts are more than sufficient.
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