Iraq Conflict with Turkey: PKK announces dissolution
After decades of bloody conflict with the Turkish state, the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) has announced its dissolution. It has been decided to dissolve the organizational structure of the PKK and to end the method of armed struggle, wrote the PKK-affiliated news agency ANF. This process is to be led by the founder of the organization, Abdullah Öcalan, who is imprisoned on the Turkish prison island of Imrali.
12.05.2025, 09:05
SDA
The PKK was founded by Öcalan in Turkey in 1978 - mainly as a reaction to the political, social and cultural oppression of the Kurds in the country. Since the 1980s, it has been fighting for a Kurdish state or autonomous region in south-eastern Turkey using armed violence and attacks. In the meantime, the PKK has backed away from its demand for an independent state. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the EU and the USA.
Reaction to Öcalan's call
With this step, the PKK is responding to an appeal by Öcalan, who has been imprisoned on the prison island of Imrali in Turkey since 1999. In February, he had called on the organization to lay down its arms and disband.
The prospect of the dissolution of the PKK had raised the hopes of many for a solution to the Kurdish conflict, more rights for Kurds in Turkey and, above all, an end to the fighting. According to the think tank International Crisis Group, around 40,000 people have been killed in the course of the conflict over the decades.
A ceasefire was last declared in 2013, but the peace process failed in the summer of 2015. The Turkish military is taking military action against the PKK. The organization has its headquarters in the Kandil Mountains in Iraq and is also present in Turkey, Syria and Europe. It is still uncertain whether all groups within the PKK will follow the call/decision.
Öcalan's appeal is based on an initiative by Erdogan's ultra-nationalist partner in government, the MHP party. Its leader Devlet Bahceli, until now an outspoken opponent of reconciliation with the PKK, brought Öcalan's release into play in October if the PKK laid down its arms and disbanded.
Does Erdogan's bid for a third term in office also play a role?
Experts see several reasons for this. Firstly, the PKK in Iraq has been weakened by the Turkish attacks. There are also growing calls among the Kurdish population for an end to the fighting. In addition, the Gaza war, the weakening of Iran and the upheaval in Syria have created a power vacuum in the region - both the Kurds and Turkey want to shape this.
In addition, Erdogan's aspirations to amend the constitution in order to be able to run for president again are likely to play a not insignificant role. To do so, he needs the votes of the pro-Kurdish party, for example.
