Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) declared a ceasefire on Saturday after a call by jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to disarm and disband the militant organization. The executive committee of the PKK said in a statement that their forces would stop armed activity except for self-defense.
Ocalan, jailed on an island off Istanbul since 1999, made the call in an earlier letter this week read out to members in Istanbul. He called for the movement to bring an end to its four-decade uprising throughout Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran, describing it as a “historic responsibility.” The PKK called the action the start of a “new historic process” in the region.
The Turkish authorities reacted cautiously, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saw the announcement as a way towards peace. His government discounted formal negotiations for unilateral demilitarization of the PKK in return. The nationalist coalition allies of Erdogan referred to parole for Ocalan if the group completely disintegrate.
An earlier ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK broke down in 2015, leading to fresh clashes that have claimed more than 7,000 lives, the International Crisis Group said. Political and legal guarantees are required for sustainable peace, Kurdish leaders insisted.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire may have wider ramifications for Kurdish fighters in Syria, especially the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been under mounting pressure from Damascus and Ankara. Turkish airstrikes in Kurdish-held regions continued unabated despite Ocalan’s appeal.
Analysts note the PKK move is taken since Turkey has increased its military pressure on the organization and international geopolitics have changed. State authorities and Kurdish delegates are to meet within weeks to demystify the way forward.
