🕊️ PKK ends armed struggle after 40 years of conflict

• The Kurdish militant group PKK announced on May 12 that they had ended their armed struggle against the Turkish state that has been ongoing since 1984.
• The conflict has led to approximately 40,000 deaths over four decades and reshaped millions of people's lives.
• PKK's imprisoned founder Abdullah Öcalan had secret meetings with the Turkish government for a year before the decision was made.

Historic conflict reaches its end

The Kurdish militant group PKK announced on May 12 that they had "fulfilled their historical mission" and ended the armed struggle that has been ongoing since 1984. The conflict between PKK and the Turkish state has led to approximately 40,000 deaths over four decades.

PKK's decision to disarm came two months after the group's imprisoned founder and leader Abdullah Öcalan issued a statement suggesting that the war had become obsolete. Öcalan had secret meetings with the Turkish government for a year.

From armed struggle to democratic work

PKK announced that the group will now focus on "building a democratic society" instead of using violence. One of the group's leading figures, Murat Karayilan, explained that "we believe the armed struggle must end - but unless the state makes legal changes, peace won't be possible in practice."

The Kurds make up about 18 percent of Turkey's population. They are also substantial minorities in Syria, Iraq, and Iran, where the PKK insurgency has had important spillover effects.

High expectations among Kurds

The group's leaders see their latest move less as a surrender than as the beginning of a new phase in their movement.

Parliamentarian Ceylan Akça, who represents the city of Diyarbakir for the pro-Kurdish party DEM, says that many ordinary Kurds have high expectations. They hope to see Kurdish political prisoners released from jail, greater tolerance for their language and culture, and a revision to the country's anti-terrorism law.

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