Turkey and the PKK reached a ceasefire deal. According to multiple sources including the British Broadcasting Corporation and Cable News Network, the government of Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party reached a ceasefire last month after its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan — who established it in 1978 — called on the movement to lay down its arms and dissolve. This is a good step and has prospects for ending the conflicts that have so far killed over forty thousand people and reaching peace. But it remains unclear whether there will be lasting peace between the parties and how much there will be peace between Turkey and the Kurdish people, who account for about 20 percent of Turkey’s 85 million people.
It is notable that reaching a ceasefire and peace deal to end four decades of conflicts between the parties in south-eastern Turkey that began with a rebellion against Turkish rule and initially aimed at an independent homeland for Kurds but later called for more autonomy and cultural and linguistic rights, rather than independence, has always been difficult due to various reasons. Continued attacks and counterattacks, geopolitical issues and other reasons were responsible. Notably, the PKK has been carrying out attacks on Turkey forces while Turkish army, which has troops deployed in northern Syria, has been almost regularly attacking areas controlled by Kurdish forces for several years. Under such a context, the latest ceasefire between the warring parties will help end conflicts.
Turkish attacks on the PKK targets in Qamishli, Syria in 2023 (Photo credit: https://edition.cnn.com/I).
But, even if the chance of lasting peace has increased between the parties this time, there are various challenges ahead that may put hindrances. There is an uncertainty of following Ocalan’s directive for disarmament driven by internal factions and there are challenges to the integration of Kurdish people, whose identity and political representation remain highly sensitive issues. Notably, Ocalan remains the symbolic leader of the PKK but the operational command has acted with a degree of autonomy at times. Among others, there is uncertainty over genuine negotiations driven by various reasons including the imprisonment of Kurdish leaders that may quickly stall the promising ceasefire and may unsurprisingly lead to the re-emergence of armed conflicts between the parties.
But the positive side this time is that both parties are interested in ending the conflicts, which not only impacted the warring parties but also several other parties in the region, at a time when the geopolitical situations have changed driven by the regime changes in Syria, which provided support to the PKK, and other reasons. Yet, making lasting peace can still be difficult between Turkey and Kurdish people driven by the presence of various armed groups and other reasons. Notably, there are limited steps to bring peace between Turkey and other Kurdish armed groups such as the People Protection Unit (YPG) which have agitated against the government and conducted numerous attacks.
Turkish troops patrol in Sirnak Province, near the Iraqi border, on June 21, 2020 (Photo credit: https://www.rferl.org/).
The emphasis needs to be given to the quick implementation of the ceasefire —a groundbreaking development. Ocalan’s release will help implement the peace process and foster the laying down of arms by the PKK members. But a lasting peace between Turkey and the PKK, the group which the Turkish government views as a terrorist organization threatening national security, is also vital and will help bring stability not only in Turkey but also in Syria, where Kurdish forces have been operating for many years (though their activities have been reduced to a larger extent now) and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
For a lasting peace, addressing grievances of the Kurdish people over various aspects including cultural and political rights is vital with a variety of means including the political and social integration of the Kurdish people. Negotiations between the parties need to be genuine and able to address grievances. For this, addressing the opposition from nationalist factions in Turkey will be helpful. Otherwise, there is a chance of breaking the ceasefire and continuing conflicts.
