PKK and Turkey sign ceasefire after 40 years of conflict
Outlawed Kurdish militants declared a ceasefire after jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan urged the group to disband, marking a turning point in their conflict with Turkey according to The New Arab on March 1st.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been in conflict with Turkey since 1984, announced the ceasefire in response to Ocalan’s call for peace: “To pave the way for implementing leader Apo’s appeal for a democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective today,” the PKK executive committee stated via the pro-PKK ANF news agency: “None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,” it added.
Ocalan, imprisoned since 1999, has previously engaged in peace talks, though negotiations collapsed in 2015.
This week, after several meetings with him at his island prison, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM party relayed his message, urging the PKK to lay down arms and convene a congress to formalise its dissolution.
The PKK expressed willingness to hold such a congress but emphasised that “a suitable, secure environment” must be established, with Ocalan leading the process.
They also called for better prison conditions, stating he must have “physical freedom” and unrestricted communication with his associates.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Ocalan’s appeal a “historic opportunity,” pledging to monitor the situation closely: “When the pressure of terrorism and arms is eliminated, the space for politics in democracy will naturally expand,” he said.
Iraq, where the PKK has a presence in the Kurdistan region, welcomed the development as a “positive and important step toward regional stability.”
The PKK’s activities in Iraq have long been a point of contention between Baghdad and Ankara, with Turkey frequently launching military operations against the group.
This latest call for peace comes after a surprising October initiative from a nationalist ally of Erdogan, who signalled openness to reconciliation if Ocalan denounced violence.
While Erdogan has backed the move, his government has simultaneously increased pressure on opposition politicians and activists.
With the PKK now committed to a ceasefire, the coming weeks will determine whether this marks the end of one of Turkey’s longest-running conflicts.
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