The PKK Kurdish militant group announced Monday that it will disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkiye, ending four decades of armed conflict.
The decision by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which promises to put an end to one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East and could have significant impact in Turkiye, Syria and Iraq, was announced by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group. The PKK held a party congress in northern Iraq a few days earlier. In February, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group to convene a congress and formally decide to disband.
A crucial step toward ending the decades-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s was taken by the 76-year-old Ocalan’s call, which marked a pivotal step toward ending the conflict. Building on the momentum, the PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire on March 1 with conditions, including the creation of a legal framework for peace negotiations. The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK has spilled over into northern Iraq and northern Syria, with Turkiye carrying out numerous incursions into the neighboring regions. The PKK is listed as a terror group by Turkiye and its Western allies.
PKK says group has completed its ‘historical mission’
In a statement carried by Firat news, the PKK announced it decision to end its “organizational structure,” suggesting that its armed struggle has successfully challenged policies that sought to suppress Kurdish rights.
The congress assessed that the PKK’s struggle had “brought the Kurdish issue to the point of resolution through democratic politics, thus completing its historical mission,” according to the statement.
“As a result, activities carried out under the name ‘PKK’ were formally terminated,” the statement said.
Turkiye’s governing party welcomed the announcement “as a significant step toward the goal of a terror-free Turkey.”
“If terrorism is completely eradicated, it will open the door to a new era,” Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Erdogan’s party, wrote on the X social media platform.Turkiye officially changed its internationally recognized name in 2022, but the spellings of Turkey and Turkiye remain common as that change is implemented.Celik, however, said the decision must apply to all “PKK branches, affiliates and illegal structures.” He did not elaborate but the statement appeared to be in reference to Kurdish fighters in Syria, who have ties to the PKK and have been involved in intense fighting with Turkish-backed forces on the ground there.The leader of the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces had previously stated that Ocalan’s call for a ceasefire does not apply to his group in Syria.
Details of the peace initiative have not been made public and it was not clear how the process would proceed, including how weapons would be disposed of and who would monitor the procedures.
The future of PKK fighters remains uncertain, including whether they may be relocated to third countries. Any concessions the PKK might obtain in exchange for its decision to disband have not been disclosed.
Some analysts have suggested Kurdish movement could potentially receive some political concessions, including improvement in Ocalan’s prison conditions, release or amnesty for jailed Kurdish politicians, including Selahattin Demirtas, the former leader of the country’s pro-Kurdish party, and guarantees against Kurdish mayors’ removal from office.
Previous peace efforts between Turkiye and the group — most recently in 2015 — ended in failure.
Dozens of people gathered Monday outside a mosque in the mainly-Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, celebrating the announcement with a traditional Kurdish dance.
New Turkiye peace deal will see PKK Kurdish militant group disband
