The aging leader of a Kurdish extremist group imprisoned on a remote Turkish island called on the group to arm themselves and disband, marking the beginning of a vulnerable peace with Turkey after 40 years of guerrilla warfare, attack and retaliation.
Abdulla Öcalan, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group that has long been seen as terrorist organizations in Turkey, the UK and US, issued a message in a letter read aloud from Istanbul's allies.
“I am calling for the laying of weapons and assume historical responsibility for this call,” Öcalan quoted. “Every group needs to lay their arms and the PKK has to melt themselves.”
Öcalan's message has widespread implications in the Middle East, not only in Syria, where Kurdish forces control important territory, but also in Iran and Iraq.
The 75-year-old has been sentenced to life in prison on a southern island in Istanbul after being captured by the Turkish special forces in Kenya in 1999.
His message was greeted with joy in a meeting room in Istanbul. In a conference room in Istanbul, Okaran's allies gathered to broadcast his phone after displaying photos of supporters who visited the gray-haired Septuaginarians. A group of elderly Kurdish peace activists have been ulcerated to appeal to them to lay their arms.
“This is a breaking point in history and a positive thing,” said Sırrı SüreyyaÖnder of Kurdish Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party. “We're here with a compass to find possible routes from these dark, chaotic days.”
Önder suggested some of the potential issues, and Okaran called for the dissolution of the PKK and the laying of weapons, all of which “requires a recognition of democratic politics” and added legal support for sustained peace.
DEM party politicians said Ankara authorities wanted a respite from government pressure, including several politicians and mayors of the group, particularly in the southeastern countries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government has called for unilateral disarmament from the PKK and has publicly cancelled its proposal that Öcalan's announcement marks the beginning of peace talks.
Some governments responded with caution to Okaran's announcement. “We'll look at the outcome,” said Erdogan's deputy chief of the Control Justice and Development Party.
Since its founding in 1978, the PKK has been responsible for a series of attacks. In particular, automobile bombings and gunfires primarily targeting Turkish military and security targets. The group claimed responsibility for an attack on a state-run weapons company near Ankara last October, killing at least five people and injuring another 22 people.
In 2015, a ceasefire between the PKK and Turkey collapsed, with Ankara using drones and airstrikes to renew the attack on the group, targeting fighters in the mountains of northern Iraq. International Crisis Group Thinktank estimate Over 7,152 people have been killed in conflicts or attacks in Turkey and northern Iraq over the years, including 646 civilians, more than 4,000 extremists and almost 1,500 members of Turkish security forces.
Öcalan's message is set to ripple across the faction of Kurdish armed groups spreading northeastern Syrian and north Iraq, with connections with the PKK, particularly the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The group is in discussion with new authorities in Damascus after former President Bashar al-Assad overthrows, negotiating future roles in control of northeastern Syria and military power across the country. Öcalan's announcement appears to be set to clash with Turkish-backed militia in Syria and quarantine further pressure on the SDF, which was targeted for Turkish strikes.
Gönül Töl, an analyst at Washington's Middle East Institute, said Ocaran likely decided it was right to end hostilities because he “thinks things don't go well for the PKK now.”
“It's about his legacy,” she said. “He wants to be the one who ended this fight. The PKK doesn't have many options. Syria has new authority, and the Syrian Kurds don't have strong hands. Iraq has a new central government that is willing to work with Turkey to narrow down the PKK.”
International Crisis Group Berkay Mandıracı said the PKK appears to be “weakened” after a decade of intensive fighting.
“It appears that Turkish officials are now in a good time to end the 40-year conflict with the PKK through a mix of military force and political manipulation,” he said. As Ankara is ready to play a major role in Syria and the wider region, Turkish officials wanted to remove any potential obstacles.
Rumors of the declaration have been rumoured for months, but the Turkish pro-Kurdish Dem party has been closed for negotiations between different Kurdish factions and the Öcalan's Island prison.
It was also unclear how different factions within the PKK would react to Öcalan calls. Earlier this month, one PKK commander told a television channel close to faction that many of the groups would only consider the majority of the group as commanders if they request disarm after walking freely from prison.
“This cannot be done only over the phone.” He said. “We're a movement with tens of thousands of armed people. These fighters aren't on the salaries that are fired. These are ideological fighters,” he said, “You have to talk when you're free. If not, what should you do? [PKK militants] Are you sure you'll put their arms down? ”
