PKK declares disbandment, ending four-decade armed insurgency against Turkey

As part of a new peace initiative, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the group to disband in late February.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has declared its disbandment, marking the end of a four-decade armed insurgency against the Turkish state.

The decision was made following a congress held from May 5-7, in response to a call by the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, the group announced today, according to a statement published by the pro-PKK Fırat News Agency (ANF).

“The PKK’s struggle has shattered the policies of denial and annihilation of our people, brought the Kurdish question to the point of solving it through democratic politics, and in this respect, the PKK has completed its historical mission,” the militant group said.

“On this basis, the 12th Congress of the PKK decided to dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure and end the armed struggle method, with the practicalization process to be managed and carried out by Leader APO, and ended the activities carried out under the name of the PKK.”

The congress took place under challenging conditions, including ongoing clashes, sustained air and ground assaults, and a continued embargo by the Kurdidstan Regional Government (KRG), the PKK said. For security reasons, it was held simultaneously in two different locations, with the participation of 232 delegates in total.

The PKK also confirmed for the first time that two of its senior figures, Ali Haydar Kaytan and Ali Rıza Altun, both founding members, were killed in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

While Turkey has conducted targeted drone strikes against PKK operatives in recent years, the deaths of such high-ranking figures had not been publicly disclosed until now.

Government welcomes disbanding

The first response from the government to the PKK’s announcement came from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik. In a statement posted on social media, Çelik said the decision marked “a significant step toward the goal of a terror-free Turkey.”

“A new era will begin if terrorism is completely eradicated,” he wrote.

Çelik emphasized that the decision must be fully implemented. “The decision to disband and disarm must be realized concretely and in full, covering all PKK branches, affiliates, and illegal structures. This would represent a turning point.”

He added that the process would be closely monitored by state institutions on the ground and that progress would be reported to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“In this context, the decision to disband and disarm must be implemented in all its dimensions, both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ the country,” he said. The reference to “outside” could be a nod to the Kurdish-led de facto autonomous region in eastern Syria, which Turkey regards as an extension of the PKK.

That administration, however, has stated that Öcalan’s call does not apply to them.

Background

Öcalan’s Feb 27 appeal, delivered through a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, had urged the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve itself, emphasizing the need for a peaceful and democratic resolution to the Kurdish issue in Turkey.

The disbandment follows a new peace initiative launched in October by Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Bahçeli had suggested that Öcalan could be granted access to the “right to hope,” a legal pathway that could lead to release, in exchange for dissolving the PKK.

The conflict, primarily in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish-populated southeastern regions but also extending to other parts of Turkey, as well as Syria and Iraq, claimed more than 30,000 lives, including military personnel, militants, and civilians.