Kurdish PKK to lay down arms in big step towards ending Turkey conflict

Turkey’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has celebrated the action as “completely tearing off and discarding the bloody chains that were placed on our nation’s feet.” Approximately 40,000 individuals have lost their lives since the onset of the conflict, and the PKK is classified as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the US, EU, and UK. Its elimination will have an impact not only in Turkey but also in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

A limited number of PKK members will ceremonially surrender their weapons in an event close to Suleymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan, before returning to their camps. Due to security concerns, the specific location is kept secret, but it is believed that members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition Dem party will attend, despite the absence of other significant Turkish political parties.

Disarmament will proceed in the upcoming months at locations established with participation from the Turkish, Iraqi, and Kurdistan regional governments .  In a video, Abdullah Ocalan, the long-imprisoned leader of the PKK, stated it was “a voluntary shift from armed conflict to the realm of democratic politics and law.” Since his capture in 1999, he has been held in isolation on the small prison island of Imrali, located southwest of Istanbul.

This peace initiative involving Turkey and the PKK marks a significant hope for ending the armed conflict that began in 1984. The PKK, initially a Marxist group advocating for Kurdish independence, shifted its focus to greater autonomy in the 1990s. Previous attempts at peace included a 2013 ceasefire by Ocalan and the 2015 Dolmabahce Agreement, but these efforts failed amid increased violence.

The current situation has seen nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli urging the PKK’s disbandment, which could lead to Ocalan’s potential release from imprisonment. Ocalan’s recent video appeal for disarmament emphasized the importance of political solutions over weapons. Following this, the PKK announced a ceasefire and acceptance of resolving the Kurdish issue through democratic politics.

Erdogan acknowledged this as a chance for a historic step towards peace. The future of Ocalan remains uncertain, with discussions about his imprisonment while Erdogan’s government seeks constitutional changes alongside potential support from pro-Kurdish parties amid a challenging political environment.