![The PKK's declaration of a ceasefire is a major step towards ending a 40-year conflict with the Turkish state [File: Christophe Simon/AFP]](https://mmnews.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/PKK-Turkey-copy.jpg)
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced a ceasefire with Turkiye, following a call from its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan to disarm.
This significant development, reported by the pro-PKK Firat news agency (ANF) on Saturday, marks a crucial step towards resolving a 40-year conflict with the Turkish state.
In the statement released on Saturday, the PKK expressed hope that Turkiye would release Ocalan, who has been held in solitary confinement since 1999, to facilitate the disarmament process. This announcement comes after Ocalan’s recent appeal to end four decades of armed struggle in southeastern Turkey, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
The ceasefire declaration follows an initiative by Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey’s ultra-nationalist MHP party and an ally of the Turkish government, aimed at ending the conflict.
The PKK, founded in 1984 with the initial goal of establishing an independent Kurdish homeland, has since shifted its focus towards seeking more autonomy and greater rights for Kurds, who make up about 20% of Turkey’s population of 85 million. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, UK, and US.
