Relatives of victims of Saddam Hussein’s Anfal campaign against Kurds on Friday visited southern Iraq to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the genocide.

Around 300 family members of victims visited Nugrasalman Citadel in Samawa, Muthana province. Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, the site was a grim prison that bears witness to the atrocities of the campaign that commenced in 1986 and claimed the lives of over 182,000 Kurds.

To mark the 36th anniversary of the massacre, they illuminated 36 lanterns.

Hassan Ali, who lost his whole family in the massacre, told Rudaw that they visited the citadel to “renew” their promise to not forget the victims. 

Karwan Hama Said is a survivor of the campaign. He also visited Samawa.

“We found solace in peering through those windows. This was like playing games for us,” he told Rudaw, recalling the windows of the castle he was held in 36 years ago. 

The Anfal campaign was carried out over two years. On April 14, 1988, the campaign reached the Garmiyan area in the south of the Kurdistan Region. That anniversary is now when Kurds remember commemorate the genocide and remember their loved ones.