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Survivors of chemical attacks on two Kurdish
villages less famous than Halabja say they too must
be remembered.
Victims of a chemical attack on the villages of
Balisan and Sheikh Wasanan 18 years ago are
demanding that their voices be heard.
On April 16, 1987, Balisan and Sheikh Wasinan were
hit by chemical weapons, leaving 750 out of the
2,000 residents dead. Saddam Hussein’s forces
targeted the area because it was a Kurdish
stronghold.
But the plight of the surviving victims has not had
the publicity accorded to the Halabja chemical
attack a year later.
Since the Kurds’ bloc won second place in the Iraq’s
parliamentary election in January, Kurdish
politicians have increasingly pressed for
compensation for the victims of Halabja, where 5,000
people were killed in 1988.
On March 16, the anniversary of the Halabja attack,
members of the Iraqi government and parliament
observed a minute’s silence to mourn the victims.
Government spokesman Laith Kuba announced on June 5
that prosecutors investigating Saddam Hussein would
focus on 12 well-documented cases, although he could
face up to 500 charges. One of these central cases
is the gassing of Kurds in Halabja, while the attack
on Balisan does not feature.
In January, the then deputy prime minister Barham
Saleh, who is now planning minister, visited Halabja
and promised that Ali Hassan al-Majid, otherwise
known as “Chemical Ali”, would face trial in the
town.
But no high-ranking government officials have
visited Balisan or Sheikh Wasanan, located 150
kilometres north of Sulaimaniyah, and the villages
are rarely mentioned in the media.
“We feel unhappy that officials don’t visit our
area,” said Mustafa Yousif, who lost 18 members of
his family - including his wife and children - and
41 others from his wider tribe in the attack. “Our
victims died silently and no one came to their aid.
Humanitarian organisations and the media have turned
their back on us.”
Zeerak Kamal, secretary of the Kurdistan
Journalists’ Syndicate, said it has been harder to
publicise this “other” chemical attack because
simply gaining access to the area has in the past
been difficult – not only because of the rough
terrain, but also because of a civil war between the
main Kurdish political parties in the Nineties.
“But we must not forget the bombing of Balisan and
Sheikh Wasanan, as it is living evidence that the
Kurdish people were oppressed,” insisted Kamal.
People here say they do not begrudge the attention
paid to Halabja; they just want to make sure they
too are remembered.
“I hope in the coming years we can compensate for
the life of the martyrs and injured families,” said
Ahmed Mustafa Najmaddin, head of Balisan’s cultural
centre.
Sheikh Salah Ashraf, the governor of Erbil province
where the two villages are located, said the local
government is now trying to rebuild the area, citing
projects to construct schools, hospitals and
mosques.
“This is the first step and there will be others,
like building houses for the people,” said Ashraf.
Arez Abdullah, a member of the Kurdish regional
parliament, said the attack on Balisan and Sheikh
Wasanan must never be forgotten.
“We must inform future generations about this
crime,” she said. “It must be included in the school
curriculum so it won’t be forgotten.”
During this year’s anniversary of the chemical
attack, Halabja sent representatives to Balisan to
empathise with their fellow-victims.
“I see no difference between the attacks on Halabja
and the attacks on Balisan and Sheikh Wasanan,” said
Shaho Abdullah, who was part of the mission from
Halabja who travelled to Balisan. “So if charity
organisations assist Halabja, we will ask them to
help Balisan, too.”
In April this year, survivors and family members of
those killed in Balisan and Sheikh Wasanan submitted
an open letter to President Jalal Talabani, Prime
Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and international
organisations, asking for compensation, medical
treatment for surviving victims and a speedy trial
for those responsible.
“They annihilated our whole family,” said Ala
Muhammed. “But once Chemical Ali, Saddam and his
accomplices are put on trial, I will have a sense
that my mother and father have come back.”
Dilshad Kawani is an IWPR trainee in Sulaimaniyah.
www.iwpr.net
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