The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) held its 12th congress this week in northern Iraq and made "historically important decisions" following a call by its leader Abdullah Ocalan to dissolve the organization, the group's affiliated "Fırat" news agency reported. The event, held between May 5 and 7, could mark a key turning point in the more than 40-year armed conflict with the Turkish state that has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people, reports "Reuters".
The statement released by the agency said the decisions were taken "based on the call of Leader Apo" - the nickname by which followers call Ocalan. It is not yet clear whether the PKK has decided to disarm or disband, stating that details will be announced "very soon".
Abdullah Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence since 1999, issued a call on February 27 through his lawyers for the resumption of the peace process with Turkey. The most significant attempt at peace to date was between 2013 and 2015, but it failed. News of the congress comes at a time of heightened focus on internal security and the Kurdish issue in Turkey, and could pave the way for renewed peace talks.
Abdullah Öcalan, founder and longtime leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), was arrested on February 15, 1999, in a dramatic international operation. After being forced to flee Syria under Turkish pressure, Öcalan traveled through several European countries, including Greece and Russia, seeking asylum. He was eventually captured in Nairobi, Kenya, in a coordinated operation by Turkish intelligence with the participation of the CIA and the Israeli Mossad. After his arrest, he was immediately extradited to Turkey, where he was later sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after the abolition of the death penalty.
The Kurds are an ethnic group with an ancient history, scattered across four main countries: Turkey (about 15-20 million), Iran (7-10 million), Iraq (6-8 million) and Syria (2-3 million), as well as a diaspora in Europe. They have their own language, culture and a strong national identity, but do not have an independent state. The strongest form of autonomy is realized in Iraqi Kurdistan, where the Kurds have their own government, parliament and armed forces (peshmerga), but are still part of the state of Iraq.
The reason the Kurds do not have their own state is rooted in post-war geopolitical decisions. After World War I, the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres provided for the creation of a Kurdish state, but this plan was never implemented, as it was superseded by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which did not recognize Kurdish autonomy. Since then, Kurds have been fighting for self-rule or independence in the various countries in which they live, but have faced fierce resistance, especially in Turkey, where the PKK has waged an armed insurgency since 1984.