The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) says it is disbanding after more than 40 years of armed struggle against the Turkish state.
The announcement came after the PKK held its congress in northern Iraq on Friday, about two months after its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Ocalan, also known as “Appo”, called on the group to disarm in February.
“The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK’s organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle,” the group announced in a statement after holding its congress last week.
For most of its history, the PKK has been labelled a terrorist group by Turkiye, the European Union, and the United States. It fought for Kurdish autonomy for years, a fight that has been declared over now.
The PKK’s announcement to dissolve itself heeds a call by its founder,r Abdullah Ocalan, jailed on an island off Istanbul since 1999, who urged his fighters in February to disarm and disband.
In a letter, Ocalan urged the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision.
Days later, the PKK’s leadership accepted Ocalan’s call, declaring a ceasefire.
The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has waged an insurgency since 1984.
Its original aim was to carve out a homeland for Kurds, who make up about 20 per cent of Turkiye’s 85 million people.
Since Ocalan was jailed, there have been various attempts to end the bloodshed, which has cost more than 40,000 lives.
