Kurdish militant group PKK disbanding, ending decades of armed struggle

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The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Monday announced its dissolution and the end of its armed struggle, drawing a line under its deadly four-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of bloody attacks on Turkish soil that sparked a conflict that cost more than 40,000 lives.

PKK Executive Committee member Duran Kalkan delivering a speech during the PKK's 12th Party Congress held at an undisclosed location in northern Iraq on May 12, 2025. (Photo by ANF NEWS / AFP)

The PKK "has decided to dissolve... and end its armed struggle," it said in a statement after a landmark leadership congress.

"The PKK has fulfilled its historical mission" and brought "the Kurdish issue to a point where it can be resolved through democratic politics," it said.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hailed the move as an "extremely important step" for both domestic and regional security.

"The decision taken by the PKK is a historic and important decision, especially in terms of permanent peace and stability in our region," he told reporters, saying there was "much to be done" to ensure its implementation.

The move was also welcomed as a boost for regional security by top officials in Syria and Iraq, and hailed by the European Union as a key step to resolving the Kurdish issue.

Ocalan had in February urged his fighters to disarm and disband in a letter from Imrali prison island where he has been held since 1999. He also asked the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision.

The declaration was the culmination of seven months of work to renew long-stalled talks that began in October when Ankara offered Ocalan an unexpected olive branch.

'A pivotal moment'

With PKK fighters present in both Syria and Iraq, the movement's dissolution is likely to reverberate in both nations.

Men watch the announcement of PKK's (Kurdish Workers Party) dissolution on the News on a television screen inside a traditional Turkish tea house, in Diyarbakir, on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Ilyas AKENGIN / AFP)

Syria's top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani said it was "a pivotal moment" not only for Turkey, "but for the stability of our region as a whole".

And Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region -- a crucial powerbroker in Kurdish affairs with close ties to Turkey -- praised the declaration as a boost for regional security.

The PKK decision "demonstrates political maturity and paves the way for a dialogue that promotes coexistence and stability in Turkey and the region," he said.

Brussels urged "all parties to seize the moment" to resolve the decades-long Kurdish question -- echoing a call by Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition DEM party, which played a key role in the process.

"The door to a political solution to the Kurdish problem has been thrown wide open," DEM spokeswoman Aysegul Dogan told reporters, saying the decision was of "historic importance".

"We should not waste this great opportunity.. Peace is no longer a dream."

Ocalan to benefit 

Although key players in the process had initially mooted early release for Ocalan, who has spent more than 25 years serving life in solitary confinement, it was unlikely he would leave Imrali prison island.

"The conditions of his detention will be eased.. meetings with DEM and his family will also be more frequent," an AKP source told the pro-government Turkiye daily.

The move was also important for Erdogan.

"If the PKK announces it is disbanding and finalises the process without any road accidents, that will be a huge win for Erdogan," Gonul Tol of the Washington-based Middle East Institute told AFP.

Families whose children joined the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party), hold their images as they sit in front of the headquarters of the Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party after the PKK announced its dissolution, in the Kurdish-majority city Diyarbakir, western Turkey on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Ilyas AKENGIN / AFP)

She said seeking a rapprochement with the Kurds was very much related to domestic politics, coming just months after Erdogan's AKP suffered a blow at the ballot box.

Analysts say a deal with the Kurds could allow Erdogan to amend the constitution and extend his term in office, while simultaneously driving a wedge between pro-Kurdish parties and the rest of Turkey's opposition.

"The main driver behind this Ocalan opening has always been about consolidating Erdogan's rule. Because if this whole process succeeds, he will go into the 2028 elections as a stronger candidate who is facing a divided opposition," Tol said.

The PKK was set up in 1978 with the original aim of carving out a homeland for Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of Turkey's 85 million people, later modifying its aims to seek greater autonomy.