Alan Kurdi’s father says not much changed in refugee crisis

ROME – Doğan News Agency

The father of Syrian child Alan Kurdi, whose dead body was found washed ashore in September 2015 on a coast in Bodrum, sparking a world-wide outcry at the refugee crisis, said he was thankful to Turkey but that not much has changed in the course of the crisis other than people’s “momentous emotional reactions.” 

“My son’s name was given to schools and campaigns. This made me happy because it would encourage people to empathize and ensure my family is not forgotten. But the continuation of the news of capsized boats, the walls that are being built in the Balkans and the arguments between governments tell me that nothing has changed in reality beyond the momentous emotional reactions,” the boy’s father, Abdullah Kurdi, said in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica.

Kurdi said none of international organizations, Syrians or Kurdish Syrians helped him after the boat disaster in which he lost his two sons and his wife as they were trying to cross the Aegean Sea in their quest to reach Europe.

“[Nobody helped] except former Turkish Prime Minister [Ahmet] Davutoglu. He gave me 5,000 dollars. Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani also called and invited me to Arbil and bought a house there for me,” said Kurdi.

“I am thankful to Turkey, because it has given work permits and nationality to many of my Syrian compatriots,” said Kurdi.

Noting that he could not continue to live in Kobane, where he buried his family, Kurdi said he currently lives in Arbil. 

“After the funerals, I stayed in Kobane for a month, but I was alone there and everything in the town was rubble. Day by day people have left. I could not stand it any longer; I was about to lose my mind,” said Kurdi. 

Kurdi also commented on allegations from human smugglers Muwafaka Alabash and Asem Alfrhad – the organizers of the disastrous boat journey – who said Kurdi was one of the smugglers. 

“Which human smuggler would take his family on that boat, among those desperate people? This allegation is an insult to one’s intelligence,” said Kurdi.