The Turkey-PKK conflict centers around the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), founded by Abdullah Ocalan in 1978 to achieve Kurdish liberation through armed struggle. Key events include Ocalan’s arrest in 1999, a declared truce in 2013, and the renewed violence post-2015. Recent developments indicate possible dialogue as political representatives meet with Ocalan, yet the situation remains precarious.
Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), recently called on fighters to disarm and dissolve the militant organization he established. The PKK has engaged in a longstanding insurgency against the Turkish state, resulting in substantial loss of life. The following are five pivotal dates in the conflict involving the PKK and Ocalan.
The PKK, which has its roots in Marxism-Leninism, was founded in 1978 by Ankara University students aspiring for Kurdish liberation through armed resistance. Ocalan, who was studying political science at the time, became the group’s leader. A military coup in Turkey in 1980 compelled Ocalan and the PKK to seek refuge in Syria and Lebanon, prompting the initiation of armed conflict in 1984.
While in Lebanon, PKK militants began attacks on Turkish military facilities and convoys, receiving training in the Beqaa Valley. This led to severe retaliatory actions from Turkey, resulting in escalated violence in the predominantly Kurdish southeastern regions, resembling civil war conditions. In 1999, Ocalan was arrested on February 15 in Kenya, subsequently sentenced to death by Turkey, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002 following the abolition of the death penalty due to European Union reforms.
On March 21, 2013, Ocalan formally instructed the PKK to cease hostilities during a letter delivered on Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, amidst peace negotiations facilitated by Turkey’s then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Kurdish pro-democracy party. However, the truce began to deteriorate following a bomb attack in Suruc in July 2015, coinciding with the HDP’s electoral success, which threatened Erdogan’s administration’s stability.
The situation escalated with Turkey’s military operations targeting PKK positions in Iraq and substantial local offensives, leading to intense urban conflicts in cities like Diyarbakir. Relations soured further following a failed coup attempt in 2016, resulting in government crackdowns on Kurdish political activities and leaders. As the decade progressed with fluctuating ceasefires and conflicts, the nationalist MHP party unexpectedly reached out to Ocalan, encouraging a renunciation of violence, an initiative supported by President Erdogan.
Delegates from the pro-Kurdish party have subsequently met with Ocalan multiple times on Imrali island since late 2022, including meetings on December 28, January 22, and February 27, indicating a significant, albeit complex, shift in the dialogue surrounding the PKK and the Turkish state.
The Turkey-PKK conflict, marked by significant events from the founding of the PKK in 1978 to peace negotiations in recent years, highlights the ongoing struggle for Kurdish rights amid violent confrontations. Ocalan’s call for disarmament and recent meetings with political representatives suggest a potential shift towards dialogue. The future of this conflict remains contingent upon the Turkish government’s willingness to engage meaningfully with the Kurdish issue.
Original Source: www.newarab.com
