PKK to Disarm After Decades of Conflict with Turkey, Announces Group Dissolution

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced plans to disarm and dissolve its armed wing, marking a historic shift in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The move comes months after PKK founder and jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan called for the group to lay down arms and seek a political solution.

In a statement released from its mountain bases, PKK commanders confirmed that preparations are underway to disband their guerrilla forces, citing what they described as a “strategic realignment” in response to shifting regional dynamics and international pressure. The group, long designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has waged an armed campaign for Kurdish autonomy since 1984.

The Turkish government has welcomed the announcement cautiously, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stating that disarmament must be “unconditional and verifiable.” Ankara also emphasized that reintegration processes and legal pathways will be considered only after the PKK fully abandons violence.

The announcement follows months of behind-the-scenes contacts involving European mediators and Kurdish political figures, many of whom have urged the PKK to end its armed struggle and engage through democratic channels.

Analysts view the disarmament as a major breakthrough, though skepticism remains about whether splinter factions within the PKK or affiliated groups in Syria and Iraq will comply. Previous ceasefire attempts have collapsed due to mistrust and outbreaks of violence.

International observers and human rights organizations have called the move a potential “turning point” in resolving one of the longest-running conflicts in the region, urging both sides to commit to an inclusive and transparent peace process.