PKK leader says armed struggle with Turkey over, calls for democracy

Good news! Will this decades old armed struggle finally come to an end!

"Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to declare the group's armed struggle against Turkey over and call for a full transition to democratic politics.

In the recording, dated June and released by the PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency, Ocalan called on Turkey's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process. ...

The PKK, locked in a bloody insurgency for more than four decades and designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February. ...

Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 – originally with the aim of creating an independent state in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast – the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden and caused deep social and political divisions. ..."

PKK leader says armed struggle with Turkey over, calls for democracy | The Jerusalem Post "The video marks a rare and pivotal moment in the long-running conflict, offering what could be Erdogan's most significant opportunity yet to seal a political settlement to the Kurdish issue."

The man in the middle is Abdullah Ocalan