Turkey’s Kurdish PKK Will Disband, Put an End to Insurgency, Says PKK-Affiliated Agency

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has declared that it will dissolve and stop using force to fight Turkey.

Firat news agency, which is closely associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), said Monday that the militant group has chosen to disband and terminate its violent campaign. The PKK has been fighting a brutal insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The announcement could have a significant impact on Turkey and the larger region, which includes areas of Syria and Iraq where Kurdish forces have been vital, particularly in Syria where they have collaborated with US forces.

Over 40,000 people have died as a result of the PKK’s armed confrontation with Turkey in the last forty years. The European Union, the United States, and Turkey have all formally classified the group as a terrorist organization.

The statement claims that during its 12th Congress, which was held last week in northern Iraq, where it still has a presence, the PKK decided to disband. The action was taken in response to a February appeal for the PKK to disintegrate made by the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, also known as “Apo.”

“The PKK 12th Congress decided to end the armed struggle method and dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure, with Leader Apo managing and carrying out the practical process,” the declaration said.

The party declared, “The PKK has completed its historic mission,” adding that its long-running conflict had “broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people” and brought the Kurdish issue to a point where a democratic solution was possible.

President Tayyip Erdogan may have a new opportunity to stabilize and invest in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, where the conflict has long hampered security and economic progress.

The action was hailed as “an important step toward a terror-free Turkey” by Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan’s ruling AK Party.

Although Ankara had expected the decision, Turkey’s foreign ministry has not yet responded formally.

The news caused a mild reaction from the markets, with the main share index rising 2.4% and the Turkish lira holding constant at 38.7375 against the dollar.

Despite the failure of earlier peace initiatives, such as a truce that lasted from 2013 to 2015 before collapsing, the PKK’s most recent action marks a significant change in one of the longest-running hostilities in the region.