A bloody, decades-long conflict in Turkey could soon be coming to an end.
Driving the news: The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) — a militant Kurdish separatist group that’s a designated terrorist organization by several countries, including Canada — announced it will disband and end its over 40-year armed insurgency against Turkey. Peace talks are to follow.
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The PKK said that it has “completed its historical mission,” and now is the time for peace talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.
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The last time the PKK and Turkey attempted peace talks was in the early 2010s, which collapsed and devolved into armed conflict.
Catch-up: The PKK formed in 1978 and, aside from a few brief ceasefires, has waged war with Turkey since 1984. Its original goal was an independent state for the ethnic minority Kurds, but it switched to pursuing Kurdish rights and autonomy in southeastern Turkey.
Why it’s happening: The PKK has been severely weakened over the years. Its ranks have been reduced, and it’s running out of room to hide in autonomous regions in Iraq and Syria.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan wants to stay in power, which would require a constitutional change to extend the country’s presidential term limits before the next election in 2028. To do this, he will likely need the support of pro-Kurdish political parties, and is trying to curry their favour.
Why it matters: The terms of the truce could result in more equitable treatment of Kurds in Turkey and the end of fighting that has taken ~40,000 lives. However, the trade-off could be Turkey’s further descent into autocratic rule that would see it drift further from the West.—QH