(CLO) The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebel group announced an immediate ceasefire with Türkiye on Saturday, according to a news agency close to the group.
The move, in response to a call by the party's jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to disarm, marks a major step toward ending the 40-year insurgency. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Türkiye and its Western allies.
Protest in support of the release of Abdullah Ocalan. Photo: Montecruz Foto
On Thursday, Ocalan called on the PKK to lay down its arms and disband, a move that has received support from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government as well as the pro-Kurdish opposition party DEM.
The ceasefire could have far-reaching regional implications if it helps end a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people since the PKK, based in northern Iraq, launched an armed insurgency in 1984.
It could also bring domestic political benefits to Mr Erdogan and create a historic opportunity to bring peace and development to Türkiye's conflict-hit southeast.
The PKK group expressed hope that the Ankara government would ease the detention conditions of Ocalan, who has been in almost complete isolation since 1999, so that he could lead the disarmament process.
"We, as the PKK, fully agree with the content of the call and declare that, from our side, we will follow and implement it," the group said in a statement to the Firat news agency.
Speaking at an event in Istanbul on the first day of Ramadan, President Erdogan said Türkiye would continue its operations against the PKK if the disarmament process stalled, while assuring that the process would not affect counter-terrorism operations.
“If commitments are repeatedly delayed, if there are attempts to deceive by changing names or acting out, we will not be responsible for what happens,” Erdogan said.
Earlier, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on social network X that dissolving the PKK "without negotiations" would open a new era.
Previous peace efforts in 2009-2011 and 2013-2015 failed and led to an increase in violence.
Cao Phong (according to AJ, Firat, CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phien-quan-pkk-tuyen-bo-ngung-ban-voi-tho-nhi-ky-ngay-lap-tuc-post336765.html
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