Kurdish PKK begins disarmament process

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Friday began the first steps of officially handing over its weapons, marking a historic shift that ends over four decades of armed conflict with Turkey.

This development follows a video message from the party’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who declared an end to the armed struggle and called for a complete shift towards democratic politics and the rule of law.

The disarmament ceremony was held today near the city of Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq, where most PKK fighters have been based for years. The process will take place in stages, beginning with a symbolic laying down of arms by a group of fighters. Full disarmament is expected to be completed by September.

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The operation is being overseen by a committee that includes representatives from the Turkish intelligence and military, in coordination with both the Baghdad and Erbil governments. Senior members of the PKK’s executive and central committees, along with other Kurdish and left-wing parties, are also taking part in the process.

Due to security concerns, the ceremony was not broadcast live, and journalists were barred from entering the site. Selected footage will be released to the press at a later stage.

The move comes after the PKK announced on 12 May its formal dissolution and commitment to disarm, in response to Ocalan’s earlier appeal on 27 February urging fighters to end the armed campaign.

These developments mark the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between the Turkish state and the Kurdish community, accompanied by calls for the Turkish parliament to form a committee to oversee the disarmament and help manage a broader peace process.

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