Outlawed Kurdish group the PKK, which has waged a 40-year insurgency against Turkey, has announced it is laying down its arms and disbanding, BBC reported.
The PKK began its armed campaign in 1984, initially seeking an independent Kurdish homeland.
Outlawed Kurdish group the PKK, which has waged a 40-year insurgency against Turkey, has announced it is laying down its arms and disbanding, BBC reported.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom, has declared an end to its armed struggle and will disband, following a call by its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.
Ocalan, 76, who has been held in solitary confinement on İmralı Island in the Sea of Marmara since 1999, urged the group in a letter from prison in February to pursue democratic means. “There is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realisation of a political system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way,” he wrote as per BBC.
The PKK began its armed campaign in 1984, initially seeking an independent Kurdish homeland. Over the years, its goals shifted toward seeking autonomy and improved rights for the estimated 20% of Turkey라이브 바카라 population that identifies as Kurdish. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
The decision to disband marks a significant turning point in one of the Middle East라이브 바카라 longest-running conflicts. While the exact terms of the disbandment are unclear, speculation has grown that Ocalan may be paroled as part of a broader political understanding. Kurdish political leaders are reportedly hoping the move will open the door to renewed dialogue and a more inclusive political settlement.
Both sides appear to have incentives to reach a deal. The PKK has been significantly weakened by sustained Turkish military operations and regional shifts that have constrained its operations in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is seen as needing Kurdish political support ahead of Turkey라이브 바카라 next presidential election in 2028.
A spokesperson from Erdoğan라이브 바카라 ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) described the disbandment as a step toward a “terror-free Turkey,” adding that the process would be monitored by state institutions, according to Reuters.
Winthrop Rodgers, a senior analyst at Chatham House, welcomed the development but cautioned that meaningful progress would require a “major democratic transition by Turkey” to meet the aspirations of Kurdish political groups. “There has been some goodwill from Turkish leaders recently, which allowed the PKK disbandment to play out,” he said. “But whether that extends to the major changes needed to ensure full Kurdish participation in politics and society is far less clear. In a lot of ways, the ball is in Turkey라이브 바카라 court.”
The disbandment of the PKK could mark the beginning of a new chapter in Turkish-Kurdish relations—if both sides are willing to engage in a credible political process.