ISTANBUL: At least 31 people have been killed and 360 others injured in demonstrations during a four day “spiral of violence” led by pro-Kurdish protesters against Turkey’s policy on Syria, officials said on Friday.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged that despite the violence, the authorities would press on with efforts to make peace with Kurdish rebels who have waged a 30-year insurgency for self-rule in eastern Turkey.

Interior Minister Efkan Ala told reporters that 31 people had been killed in the demonstrations, which left a trail of destruction and prompted the army to impose a curfew in parts of southeast Turkey.

In addition, two policemen were shot dead in the southern city of Bingol late on Thursday while inspecting the scene of a demonstration, he confirmed. Bingol province’s police chief was seriously wounded in the attack. Five “terrorists” suspected of gunning them down were themselves killed by the security forces, Ala added.

“This spiral of violence should immediately be stopped,” he said in a statement in Ankara.

“Everyone should do their part to put an end to these incidents. We should all stand in solidarity with each other”. Ala said that clashes broke out in 35 cities, and 221 civilians and 139 security officials including police were wounded.

Over 1,000 people were detained and 58 people have formally been arrested for their involvement in the protests which caused damage to 212 schools, he said.

The violence, which has been concentrated in south-eastern Turkey but also flared in Istanbul and Ankara, has been among the worst rioting seen in the country in years.

The official toll has already well exceeded the number of eight people confirmed to have been killed in the May-June 2103 nationwide protests against the ruling party.

According to the official Anatolia agency, most of the deaths occurred in Diyarbakir, Turkey’s main Kurdish city, where 11 people were killed.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2014