Kurdish militant group PKK says disbanding, ending armed struggle

ISTANBUL – The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced on May 12 its dissolution, saying it was ending its armed struggle against the Turkish state and drawing a line under its bloody four-decade insurgency.

“The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle,” the group announced in a statement published by the pro-Kurdish ANF news agency.

The move was welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party as an “important step”, with the party saying the implementation of the process would be “meticulously monitored” by the government.

The historic announcement came after an appeal by PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, who on Feb 27 urged his fighters to disarm and disband in a letter from Istanbul’s Imrali prison island, where he has been held since 1999.

He also asked the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision, with the party holding its congress early last week in Iraq’s Qandil mountains.

There, its leader took “decisions of historic importance concerning the PKK’s activities”, ANF reported on May 9.

AKP spokesman Omer Celik said if the decision were “implemented in practice and realised in all its dimensions”, it would open the door to a new era.

“The PKK’s decision to dissolve itself and lay down its arms, following the call from Imrali, is an important step towards a terror-free Turkey,” Mr Celik said.

“The full and concrete implementation of the decision to dissolve and surrender arms... will be a turning point,” he added, saying the process would be “meticulously monitored” by the government.

‘Huge win for Erdogan’ 

The declaration was the culmination of seven months of work to renew long-stalled talks that began in October 2024 when Ankara offered Ocalan an unexpected olive branch.

“If the PKK announces it is disbanding and finalises the process without any road accidents, that will be a huge win for Erdogan,” Ms Gonul Tol of the Washington-based Middle East Institute told AFP news agency.

She said seeking a rapprochement with the Kurds was very much related to domestic politics, coming just months after Mr Erdogan’s AKP suffered a blow at the ballot box.

Analysts say a deal with the Kurds could allow Mr Erdogan to amend the Constitution and extend his term in office, while simultaneously driving a wedge between pro-Kurdish parties and the rest of Turkey’s opposition.

“The main driver behind this Ocalan opening has always been about consolidating Erdogan’s rule. Because if this whole process succeeds, he will go into the 2028 elections as a stronger candidate who is facing a divided opposition,” Ms Tol said.

In a weekend speech, Mr Erdogan hinted the dissolution could be announced at any moment, saying “we are advancing with firm steps on the path towards the goal of a terror-free Turkey”.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and Brussels, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. Its original aim was to carve out a homeland for Kurds, who make up about 20 per cent of Turkey’s 85 million people. AFP