Kurdish Militant Group Lays Down Arms For Peace

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) will disband and disarm itself as part of a peace initiative with the Turkish government, the militant group announced Monday, a move that would bring an end to the decades-long insurgency and resolve one of Turkey’s main security threats, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

On Monday, the PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency confirmed that the Kurdish organization agreed to end its armed struggle following a congress held by its leaders last week. 

The PKK leaders voted to dissolve, claiming that the militant group had achieved its historical mission and “led the Kurdish problem to the point of being solved through democratic politics.” 

Monday’s announcement follows a call earlier this year by the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, for the PKK to disband after more than 40 years of conflict.  

Following Öcalan’s plea, the group declared a ceasefire in March. 

Founded in 1978, the PKK – designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and the United States – launched an armed insurgency against the Turkish government in 1984 that has killed around 40,000 people.  

The group initially advocated for an independent Kurdish state, but Öcalan later changed that stance into a push for greater autonomy and rights for Kurds, a large ethnic group spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. 

Turkish authorities captured Öcalan in 1999 in Kenya, and the Kurdish leader is serving life in prison for treason and sedition. 

Following Monday’s announcement, Turkish officials welcomed the news, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan calling it “historic and important.” He added the move would eventually lead to “lasting peace and stability.” 

Analysts explained that an end to the conflict would resolve one of Turkey’s long-running security and political issues. It would also help smooth tensions between Turkey and the US over the latter’s partnership with Kurdish fighters in Syria who are battling Islamic State extremists.  

Observers told the Washington Post that the decision to dissolve also underscores new realities for the PKK – battered by years of Turkish military campaigns – and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s need for Kurdish support to remain in power beyond his term’s expiration in 2028. 

However, others urged caution, saying that it remains unclear if all Kurdish militant groups will commit to the call to disarm, how the disarmament will be implemented, and what will happen to their fighters. 

There are also questions about some of the concessions Ankara has offered the PKK to disarm. 

Previous calls for ceasefires and efforts to end the conflict have failed. 

In 2013, Ocalan announced an end to the insurgency and the withdrawal of PKK forces from Turkish territory as part of a ceasefire deal. But the conflict restarted two years later after Turkish authorities blamed the PKK for an attack that killed two policemen in the country’s south.