The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group engaged in a four-decade insurgency against the Turkish state, announced its dissolution and an end to armed operations, according to a statement published by the PKK-linked Firat News Agency on Monday.
The move, if confirmed, marks a historic pivot in one of the Middle East’s longest-running conflicts, with potential ramifications across Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Firat reported that the decision followed a PKK congress held last week in northern Iraq, convened to formalise a February appeal by imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan to abandon armed struggle.
The group’s “closing declaration” reportedly stated the PKK would dissolve its organisational structures and cease militant activities, though details on disarmament timelines or political transitions remain unclear.
Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office, offered no immediate response. The PKK—designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US, and EU—waged a separatist campaign since 1984, leaving over 40,000 dead and displacing millions.
The dissolution could reshape dynamics in neighbouring Syria, where the PKK-affiliated People’s Protection Units (YPG) have been key US allies in combating Islamic State. Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the PKK and has repeatedly targeted its positions, raising questions over future Turkish military operations in Syria.
Analysts caution that implementation remains precarious. Öcalan, jailed since 1999, has issued periodic ceasefire calls, but hardline factions within the PKK have historically resisted demilitarisation. Previous peace efforts, including a 2013 truce, collapsed amid mutual distrust.
