Kurdish separatist group PKK ends armed struggle after 40-year conflict with Turkey – Here's why

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the militant group involved in a four-decade-long insurgency against Turkey, has announced it will disband and end its armed operations. The decision, declared in a statement issued after a recent leadership congress in northern Iraq, marks a historic shift in the Kurdish-Turkish conflict.

"The PKK has fulfilled its historical mission," the group said. It added that the Kurdish issue had reached a point where it could be resolved through "democratic politics."

Immediate halt to military operations

A senior PKK official confirmed that all military operations would cease immediately. However, the handover of weapons would depend on the Turkish government's response to the group’s demands regarding Kurdish rights and the future of PKK fighters.

Erdogan's Government welcomes move

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP party welcomed the move, calling it “an important step towards a terror-free Turkey.” The government also stressed that the disarmament process would be “meticulously monitored.”

Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Ankara would take the "necessary measures to ensure smooth progress" toward peace and internal stability.

Ocalan to oversee disbanding process

The decision follows a February call to disband from Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK’s jailed leader, who has been imprisoned since 1999 on an island near Istanbul. The group confirmed that Ocalan would manage the disbanding process.

Potential shift in Southeast Turkey

The decision offers a renewed chance for economic and political development in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast. The long-running insurgency has hampered the region's growth and strained national resources.

Regional implications and unanswered questions

It remains unclear how the PKK’s disbanding will affect the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria, which Turkey views as a PKK affiliate. The YPG has previously dismissed Ocalan’s calls as irrelevant to its operations. It has not commented on the latest announcement.

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani congratulated Turkey, calling the PKK’s disbanding a “pivotal moment not only for Turkey's internal security but for the stability of our region as a whole.”

Kurdish political support

The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, Turkey’s third-largest political force, played a key role in facilitating Ocalan’s peace proposal. Deputy party leader Tayip Temel hailed the development as significant.

“This decision is not just important for the Kurdish people, but for the entire Middle East,” Temel said. “It will also necessitate a major shift in the official state mentality of Turkey.

Backdrop of political tension

The PKK decision comes amid political unrest in Turkey. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a major opposition figure, was jailed in March pending corruption charges — a move that sparked the country’s largest protests in a decade.

Decades of conflict and costs

The PKK began its insurgency in 1984 seeking an independent Kurdish state. Over the years, the group shifted its goals to demand greater Kurdish rights and regional autonomy. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives and strained Turkey’s economy and social fabric.