PKK declares end to armed struggle after decades: A turning point in the regional equation

After more than forty years of armed conflict, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has officially announced the disbandment of its guerrilla forces, signaling a potential end to one of the region’s longest-running insurgencies. The group’s leadership issued the declaration just months after a public appeal from its imprisoned founder, Abdullah Öcalan, who called for a transition from armed struggle to peaceful political engagement.

The PKK, long designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States, and a few Western allies, has operated in regions bordering Iraq and Iran, with ideological influence extending to Kurdish entities in northern Syria. With its decision to lay down arms, the PKK leadership stated that the organization’s historical mission, bringing the Kurdish issue into the political arena, had been accomplished, opening the way for a peaceful solution through democratic channels.

While Ankara has yet to offer concrete steps toward dialogue, the disarmament announcement may act as a catalyst for future political arrangements. However, the move appears to be unilateral for now, as no official talks or reciprocal gestures have been made public by Turkish authorities. The cautious response from Turkey’s ruling party suggests hesitation rather than outright acceptance.

Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), acknowledged the potential impact of the PKK’s move but refrained from a definitive stance. “If the PKK genuinely dismantles all of its organizational branches, this could mark a significant milestone,” he stated, carefully avoiding any commitments.

Behind the scenes, Turkey’s nationalist leadership, particularly Devlet Bahçeli of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a key coalition partner in Erdoğan’s government, has been engaging with Kurdish political factions. Analysts suggest that these overtures are partly driven by domestic political calculations, including potential efforts to ensure the extension of Erdoğan’s leadership beyond current constitutional limits by securing broader electoral alliances with pro-Kurdish parties.

Notably, the PKK’s statement emphasized that real peace requires the release of Abdullah Öcalan, who has been detained since 1999 on İmralı Island near Istanbul. His continued imprisonment remains a symbolic and strategic obstacle to a full reconciliation process.

Founded in 1978, the PKK emerged as a reaction to decades of marginalization of Kurdish populations in southeastern Turkey. While its armed activities initially targeted military infrastructure, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have raised concerns about collateral impacts on Kurdish civilians, particularly during the intense clashes of the 1990s.

Since launching its armed campaign in 1984, the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including both combatants and civilians. The International Crisis Group reported that following the breakdown of the last ceasefire in 2015, more than 1,700 individuals lost their lives in a single year, highlighting the human cost of a prolonged unresolved conflict.

The dissolution of the PKK also reverberates through neighboring Syria, particularly in the northeast, where Kurdish-dominated forces such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have previously been linked, ideologically and strategically, to the PKK. The SDF, once backed by American military presence, has faced growing isolation following Washington’s partial troop withdrawals and a shift in regional dynamics after the weakening of the Assad regime.

Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the SDF, signed an agreement earlier this year to incorporate SDF institutions into the new Syrian national framework led by Damascus. Abdi, however, was quick to distance the SDF from the PKK’s decision, stating that it bears no operational or strategic consequence for Kurdish forces inside Syria. “This only concerns the PKK and does not affect our structure or mission,” he affirmed.

Nonetheless, observers note that the SDF’s future remains uncertain without direct backing from foreign powers, especially as Syria moves toward restoring sovereignty with support from long-standing allies such as Russia. As the regional landscape shifts, the disbandment of the PKK could mark the beginning of a broader realignment of Kurdish political actors, bringing them closer to states like Syria, Iran, and even Russia, who favor stability and oppose Western interventionism.

The PKK’s historic decision may not immediately end decades of tension, but it undeniably alters the strategic narrative. For regional powers like Russia, China, and Pakistan, who advocate multipolarity and respect for national sovereignty, the development underscores the need for local solutions free from the divisive tactics of Western-backed military proxies.

In the long run, this could serve as a model for de-escalation and integration, provided all parties engage in good faith and reject the interventionist strategies that have fueled conflict in the Middle East for far too long.