4 - Bureaucracy and Political Violence (1992–7): Paramilitarism in Batman Province

Summary

Introduction

The relationships of paramilitary formations to one another and to state institutions is best understood at the local level. Focusing on paramilitarism in a small area, makes the relations between the influential political, military and bureaucratic actors more visible and concrete, on the one hand, while illuminating the micro-dynamics of tribes, families and individuals loyal to the state, on the other. As the workspace or perspective narrows, relationships and actions become crystallised. At the same time, gaining an understanding of the nature of paramilitarism through local examples also provides an entry point to an appreciation of the similarities and differences between paramilitary policies in different regions. Therefore, in the last two chapters of the book, I offer a comparative discussion of two different areas.

Batman (province) and Cizre (city-district) provide good examples to understand the paramilitaries as operative at the local level in northern Kurdistan during the 1990s. Batman and Şırnak were both previously districts in Siirt province and were made provinces on 16 May 1990, mainly for military reasons in combating the PKK. Administratively restructuring (‘upgrading’) a place from district to province meant that more troops could be deployed there. In that same month, May 1990, a state of emergency was declared in both provinces. These territories were administratively restructured upon the proposal of the MGK. The reasons for the change were not the socio-economic conditions of the locals there, but military and political factors. Batman also had a unique paramilitary force, which was created by the administrative bureaucracy, while Cizre was one of the clearest local examples of paramilitarisation of the state.

Additionally, the following two chapters focus on Batman and Cizre based on (1) the embeddedness in the local administrative bureaucracy, (2) the structure of the paramilitary formations, and (3) the level of violence. Considering these in turn, first, in terms of the conduct of government institutions in the region with regard to paramilitary forces, the role of the governor of Batman and the mayor of Cizre in relation to the paramilitary forces was quite strong and unambiguous. Both the bureaucrat and the politician (the governor was appointed from Ankara, the mayor was elected locally) had important roles in directing the paramilitary forces.