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3mo ago

PKK Disbands After Four Decades of Armed Insurgency

The Kurdish militant group's decision, following Abdullah Ocalan's call, marks the end of a conflict that claimed over 40,000 lives and shifts focus to peace and regional stability.

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Hatice Levent holds a picture of her daughter Fadime who is believed to have joined the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as families of young people who they say were recruited by the PKK gather outside the local office of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, as PKK disbands and ends 40-year Turkey insurgency, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar
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A mural in northern Syria showing Kurdish fighters with a flag bearing Ocalan's face

Overview

  • The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has formally dissolved its organizational structure and ended its armed struggle, as announced on May 12, 2025, after a congress in northern Iraq.
  • The decision follows a February appeal by imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, who urged the group to disband and pursue Kurdish rights through democratic politics.
  • Turkey's government, led by President Erdogan, has welcomed the announcement as a step toward a 'terror-free Turkey' and is closely monitoring the disarmament process, expected to take several months.
  • Key details, including the handling of weapons, the reintegration of fighters, and potential political concessions for Kurdish groups, remain unclear and are under negotiation.
  • The disbandment could reshape regional dynamics, particularly in Syria and Iraq, where Kurdish militias have ties to the PKK, raising questions about compliance and broader Kurdish alignment.