The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced that it held its 12th congress earlier this week, during which the group discussed laying down its arms and disbanding, following a call by its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan. The congress took place from May 5 to 7 in the PKK’s stronghold in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq, referred to by the group as the “Media Defense Zones,” according to the pro-Kurdish Fırat News Agency (ANF).
The PKK said in a statement that the congress was convened in response to a message from Öcalan, issued on February 27, which called for an end to the decades-long armed conflict with the Turkish state. The group added that it had reached “historic decisions” and would release the congress’s official conclusions soon.
“We have taken decisions of historic importance,” the statement read. “Comprehensive documentation and conclusions from the congress will be made public very soon.”
The group also renewed its demand for Öcalan’s release. The PKK founder has been imprisoned on İmralı Island since 1999, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The peace efforts gained momentum after Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and coalition partner of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, unexpectedly proposed a peace gesture toward Öcalan in October 2024. Erdoğan later endorsed the move.
Following Öcalan’s appeal, the PKK’s executive committee declared a unilateral ceasefire on March 1 and pledged to halt all military operations unless provoked.
On Thursday, President Erdoğan stated that an announcement from the PKK about disarmament was imminent. Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) headquarters in Ankara, he said, “All obstacles to a solution have been lifted. Today or tomorrow, the PKK will disarm and dissolve itself. After that, a new period will begin. Politics will have a major role to play.”
If implemented, the PKK’s disarmament would represent the most significant breakthrough in Turkey’s Kurdish conflict since the insurgency began in 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives and led to numerous military operations and political crackdowns, particularly following the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey.
A previous peace process between 2013 and 2015 involving Öcalan collapsed amid rising political tensions and resumed hostilities. Öcalan has had very limited contact with the outside world in recent years, last meeting with his lawyers in 2019.
The Turkish government, along with the United States and European Union, designates the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Further details from the PKK’s congress are expected in the coming days.
