Kurdish Rebellion Against Turkey: PKK Complies with Ocalan's Order to Disband, Details Explained
Unsheathing the Kurds' Sword: The Decline of the PKK and Its Implications
In a surprising turn of events, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced its disarmament after more than four decades of struggle against the Turkish state. This decision follows a congress held in northern Iraq, just two months after Abdullah Ocalan, also known as "Appo," called for the group to lay down their arms in February.
For years, the PKK has been known as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. Its primary goal has been to secure Kurdish autonomy, a fight that has, allegedly, come to an end.
Here is what you need to know about the premature end of the PKK's armed struggle.
Who was Abdullah Ocalan?
Born into a poor Kurdish farming family on April 4, 1948, in Omerli, Sanliurfa (a Kurdish-majority region of Turkey), Ocalan pursued political science at a university in Ankara. Driven by a sense of marginalization felt by many Kurds, he became politically active. By the mid-1970s, he was advocating for Kurdish nationalism and went on to found the PKK in 1978.
Under his command, the PKK launched a separatist rebellion against Turkey in 1984. Ocalan maintained absolute control over the PKK, stifling competition from other Kurdish groups, according to Aliza Marcus' book, "Blood and Belief: The PKK and the Kurdish Fight for Independence."
The Armed Rebellion: Violence and Repression
The rebellion was brutal, resulting in the deaths of more than 40,000 people between 1984 and 2024. A significant number of Kurds were forced to flee the violence in southeastern Turkey into cities further north.
During the 1980s and 90s, Ocalan directed operations from neighboring Syria, causing tensions between the Turkish and Syrian governments. The PKK resorted to violent tactics, including kidnapping foreign tourists, adopting suicide bombing operations, and attacking Turkish diplomatic offices in Europe. What's more, the PKK would repress Kurdish civilians who refused to aid the group in its guerrilla warfare.
A Change of Heart: Ocalan's Shift
In 1998, Ocalan fled Syria due to the threat of a Turkish incursion to capture him. A year later, Turkish agents arrested him on a plane in Nairobi, Kenya, with intelligence provided by the US. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was later changed to life in prison when Turkey abolished capital punishment in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU.
By 2013, Ocalan had changed his stance on separatism, advocating instead for comprehensive Kurdish rights and greater regional autonomy in Turkey. He abandoned his belief in the effectiveness of armed rebellion. This shift marked the start of a shaky peace process between the PKK and Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), headed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The peace process brought some freedoms for Kurds, but it was short-lived. Fighting resumed between the government and the PKK in 2015 due to fears that the party was trying to establish a Kurdish statelet in neighboring Syria during its civil war.
A New Dawn for Peace?
In announcing its disarmament, the PKK stated that it has "completed its historical mission" by "breaking the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and bringing the Kurdish issue to a point where solving it can occur through democratic politics."
Analysts argue that there are other reasons behind the decision. The PKK and its Kurdish allies are more vulnerable than ever due to recent developments. According to Sinan Ulgen, an expert on Turkey and senior fellow at Carnegie Europe in Brussels, the PKK's reason for giving up its armed struggle stems from the change in the international context.
US President Donald Trump no longer sees Syria as a strategic focal point for foreign policy, reducing support for Kurdish armed groups in the country, as established during the fight against ISIL. Furthermore, the new government in Syria is on friendly terms with Turkey, unlike under the previous regime, potentially diminishing the PKK's ability to operate along the border.
What Comes Next for Turkey?
The political climate seems ripe for peace, with most major political parties in Turkey, including the AK Party and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), openly or tacitly supporting a new peace process. However, it was the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), traditionally opposed to any overtures to the Kurds, that created the opportunity for a new peace process.
In April 2024, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli invited Ocalan to renounce "terrorism" in front of Turkey's parliament in exchange for potential parole. Some experts suggest Bahceli's change of heart is to help his coalition partner, Erdogan, win the next national election. Under the Turkish constitution, Erdogan cannot run for another term unless an early election is called, which requires 360 out of 600 votes in parliament. To secure the necessary votes, Erdogan may need the support of Kurdish delegates from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM).
The Future of Abdullah Ocalan
It remains uncertain whether Ocalan will be released, but his prison conditions could significantly improve. The government may gradually increase Ocalan's freedoms to gauge the reactions of his support base and the broader public. Many people in Turkey continue to view Ocalan as a "terrorist" and hold him responsible for the conflict's devastating toll on the nation.
In April 2024, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli invited Ocalan to renounce terrorism in front of Turkey's parliament in exchange for potential parole. Sinem Adar, an expert on Turkey with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWB), views Bahceli's change of heart as "unbelievable." Experts suggest Bahceli's actions are aimed at helping his coalition partner, Erdogan, win the next national election.
Under Turkish law, the government prefers to gradually increase Ocalan's freedoms and gauge the reactions of his support base and the broader public before considering release. Many people in Turkey continue to view Ocalan as a "terrorist" and hold him responsible for the conflict's devastating impact on the country.
- The PKK's decision to disarm follows a change in the international context, as the US no longer views Syria as a strategic focal point for foreign policy, reducing support for Kurdish armed groups in the country.
- Analysts argue that the PKK's disarmament could be due to the vulnerability of the PKK and its Kurdish allies in the face of recent developments, such as the change in Syria's government, which is now friendly toward Turkey.
- The PKK's disarmament has important implications for the Kurdish issue in Turkey, with the PKK stating that it has "completed its historical mission" by "breaking the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and bringing the Kurdish issue to a point where solving it can occur through democratic politics."
- In a surprising turn of events, the MHP leader Devlet Bahceli has invited Abdullah Ocalan, the founder of the PKK, to renounce terrorism in front of Turkey's parliament in exchange for potential parole, creating an opportunity for a new peace process in Turkey.
- Given the intense cultural and political conflict surrounding Abdullah Ocalan and the PKK, it remains to be seen whether the PKK's disarmament will mark a new dawn for peace in the war-and-conflicts region, or whether the political landscape will be once again transformed by breaking news events related to terrorism and crime-and-justice issues.
