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PKK commanders and fighters at a symbolic disarmament ceremony, Sulaymaniyah, July 2025
By Arian Mufid:
For four decades, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has waged an armed struggle against the Turkish state. However, the PKK has not achieved the independent Kurdish state it originally set out to fight for when the group was founded in 1978. Despite this, its long-running insurgency eventually led the Turkish government to engage in negotiations initiated under the leadership of right-wing nationalist politician Devlet Bahçeli in October 2024.
Abdullah Öcalan’s leadership and ideology have had a significant and lasting impact on the Kurdish movement. The conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives and cost Turkey nearly 3 trillion Turkish lira. Öcalan, along with senior PKK commanders Murat Karayılan, Cemil Bayık, and Duran Kalkan, are widely recognized as the organization’s most influential leaders. Although Öcalan was captured in 1999, the armed struggle continued under his ideological influence, gradually transforming into a movement advocating democratic confederalism (a revolutionary ideology more compatible with the diversity of the Middle East) rather than outright independence.
However, a clear and unified long-term vision has often been lacking among the PKK leadership. The Kurdish population in northern Kurdistan is urged to understand the strategy and objectives of the imprisoned leadership, especially since negotiations with the Turkish state began. A clear and realistic vision should be embraced by the Kurdish people as part of this evolving process.
The transition is being guided by Abdullah Öcalan from prison. In 2025, the PKK announced its disbandment and the cessation of its armed campaign following Öcalan’s February 2025 declaration, the “Call for Peace and Democratic Society.” A symbolic disarmament ceremony took place in Sulaymaniyah, South Kurdistan, where PKK fighters destroyed their weapons rather than surrendering them to any government.
The PKK’s latest statements and programs indicate that Öcalan continues to face significant challenges in steering the movement through this new phase of negotiation and transformation. While the details of the PKK’s decisions and future plans remain unclear, with full outcomes yet to be made public, the path forward demands careful consideration.
The PKK’s vision has evolved over time, shifting its focus from independence to achieving Kurdish rights within Turkey through the framework of democratic confederalism, which remains at the heart of its political and social philosophy.
