PKK Fighters Disarm in Landmark Ceremony
PKK Disarmament Marks a Turning Point in Kurdish Politics
From Armed Insurgency to Democratic Engagement
Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) launched an armed campaign against the Turkish state in 1984. The conflict, which claimed more than 40,000 lives across four decades, ended abruptly in May when the PKK announced its dissolution and pledged to pursue a democratic struggle for Kurdish rights.
Friday’s Ceremony: Symbols of Goodwill and Peace
In the morning of Friday, an undisclosed mountainous venue near Sulaimaniyah hosted the disarmament ceremony. Approximately 30 fighters participated, destroying or burning their weapons as a gesture of goodwill. A PKK commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the ceremony’s intent to bring an end to armed conflict.
Political and Social Context
- Negotiations with Ankara began in October, facilitated by Turkey’s pro‑Kurdish DEM party and endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- DEM lawmakers and journalists travelled to Sulaimaniyah on Thursday, attending the ceremony and endorsing the PKK’s transition.
- Ocalan’s video message emphasized the “power of politics and social peace, not weapons,” urging swift implementation of the disarmament process.
Erdogan’s Statements on Peace Efforts
- “The process will gain a little more speed when the terrorist organisation starts to implement its decision to lay down arms,” he said.
- “We hope this auspicious process will end successfully as soon as possible, without mishaps or sabotage attempts,” he added.
Historical Steps Toward a Peaceful Future
In recent months, the PKK’s trajectory moved from an armed ceasefire to a formal dissolution announced on May 12. This shift followed a February 27 appeal by Ocalan, who has spent the past 26 years in solitary confinement on Imrali prison island near Istanbul. The disarmament ceremony, thus, represents a milestone in the transition from armed insurgency to democratic politics, drawing a definitive line under one of the region’s longest‑running conflicts.
