Village Guard System

Village Guard System

Village guards (Turkish: Korucular, officially Geçici ve Gönüllü Köy Korucuları ("temporary and voluntary village guards")) are paramilitaries. Originally they were set up and funded by the Turkish state in the mid-1980s under the direction of Turgut Özal. Their stated purpose was to act as a local militia in towns and villages, protecting against attacks and reprisals from the insurgents, terrorists and guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The rationale behind set up of the system was that it would be helpful to the Turkish Army to have an additional force of people who knew the region, and the language in order to assist in military operations against the PKK.

They have been implicated in attacks on Kurdish internally displaced persons returning to their villages after forced evacuation. Around 50,000 to 90,000 village guards are still present in southeastern Turkey, also referred to as Turkish Kurdistan.

The village guards are frequently targeted by PKK guerrilla members as they are seen as traitors. During the ongoing Kurdish–Turkish conflict, 30 village guards have been killed. Accepting to become a village guard is a largely voluntary process, although there are exceptions (see below). A village guard can expect to be paid up to $200 (~130€) per month.