Latest news with #armedStruggle
Zawya
7 days ago
- General
- Zawya
Eritrea: Seminar on the Objective Situation in the Homeland
Brig. Gen. Eyob Fesehaye (Halibai), Commander of the Western Command of the Eritrean Defense Forces, conducted a seminar on 29 May for Government workers and members of the Defense Forces in the Akordet sub-zone. The seminar was organized by the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students in the Gash Barka Region. Brig. Gen. Eyob gave an extensive briefing on the political and armed struggle of the Eritrean people for independence, the conspiracies and hostilities perpetrated against the Eritrean people, the heavy sacrifice paid, and the noble values nurtured throughout the process. He also called on the youth to enhance their awareness, equip themselves with education and skills, and take advantage of the opportunities being provided. The participants, emphasizing the importance of the seminar, called for similar sessions to be organized for members of the Defense Forces and the youth. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kurdish PKK militants announce decision to dissolve after decades of conflict with Turkey
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said on Monday it would dissolve itself, according to media close to the militant separatist group, in what would be a historic move after decades of conflict with Turkey that have killed tens of thousands of people. 'The 12th Congress of the PKK decided to dissolve the organizational structure of the PKK and to end the armed struggle method,' the group said in a statement, according to the pro-Kurdish news outlet Firat News Agency. It added that the 'practical process' of dissolution would be managed by their imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, and that they have 'ended the work carried out under the name of the PKK.' For almost five decades, Turkey has been at war with the PKK, founded by Ocalan in 1978. Much of the fighting has focused on the group's desire to establish an independent Kurdish state in the country's southeast. But in recent years the group has called for more autonomy within Turkey instead. In March, the PKK declared an immediate ceasefire after Ocalan called on fighters to lay down their arms and dissolve the group.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kurdish militant group PKK says disbanding, ending armed struggle
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Monday announced its dissolution, saying it was ending its armed struggle against the Turkish state and drawing a line under its bloody four-decade insurgency. Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK carried out attacks aimed at defending Kurdish autonomy in Turkey that cost more than 40,000 lives. "The 12th PKK Congress has decided to dissolve the PKK's organisational structure and end its method of armed struggle," the group said in a statement published by the pro-Kurdish ANF news agency. The move was welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP party as an "important step", saying the implementation of the process would be "meticulously monitored" by the government. The historic announcement came after an appeal by Ocalan, who on February 27 urged his fighters disarm and disband in a letter from Istanbul's Imrali prison island, where he has been held since 1999. He also asked the PKK to hold a congress to formalise the decision, which the call and declared a ceasefire, holding its congress early last week in Iraq's Kandil mountains. There its leader took "decisions of historic importance concerning the PKK's activities", ANF had reported on Friday. AKP spokesman Omer Celik said if the decision were "implemented in practise and realised in all its dimensions" it would open the door to a new era. "The PKK's decision to dissolve itself and lay down its arms following the call from Imrali is an important step towards a terror-free Turkey," Celik said. "The full and concrete implementation of the decision to dissolve and surrender arms... will be a turning point," he added, saying the process would be "meticulously monitored" by the government. - 'Huge win for Erdogan' - The declaration was the culmination of seven months of work to renew long-stalled talks that began in October when Ankara offered Ocalan an unexpected olive branch. "If the PKK announces it is disbanding and finalises the process without any road accidents, that will be a huge win for Erdogan," Gonul Tol of the Washington-based Middle East Institute told AFP. She said seeking a rapprochement with the Kurds was very much related to domestic politics, coming just months after Erdogan's AKP suffered a blow at the ballot box. Analysts say a deal with the Kurds could allow Erdogan to amend the constitution and extend his term in office, while simultaneously driving a wedge between pro-Kurdish parties and the rest of Turkey's opposition. "The main driver behind this Ocalan opening has always been about consolidating Erdogan's rule. Because if this whole process succeeds, he will go into the 2028 elections as a stronger candidate who is facing a divided opposition," Tol said. In a weekend speech, Erdogan hinted the dissolution could be announced at any moment, saying that "We are advancing with firm steps on the path toward the goal of a terror-free Turkey". The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and Brussels, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. Its original aim was to carve out a homeland for Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of Turkey's 85 million people. fo-hmw/js
Wall Street Journal
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Kurdish Militant Group PKK to End Armed Conflict With Turkey
ISTANBUL—A Kurdish militant group said it would end its armed struggle and dissolve itself after four decades of conflict with Turkey, a news agency aligned with the group said Monday. The decision by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, will have significant security and political ramifications for the region, not only in Turkey but also in neighboring Syria, where Kurdish forces are fighting Turkish-backed militias.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kurdish PKK disbands and ends Turkey insurgency
The Kurdistan Workers Party militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, decided to disband and end its armed struggle, a news agency close to the group reported on Monday. The decision is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighbouring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US forces. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. "The PKK has completed its historic mission," the group said on Monday, according to the Firat news agency, which published what it said was the closing declaration of a congress that the PKK held last week in northern Iraq where it is based. The PKK held the congress in response to a call in February from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband. "The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK'S organisational structure, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo, and to end the armed struggle method," the statement said, using Ocalan's nickname. "The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics." The PKK's decision will give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in the mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has handicapped the regional economy for decades. Omer Celik, spokesman for Erdogan's ruling AK Party, said the PKK's decision to dissolve was an "an important step toward a terror-free Turkey". Turkey's foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the announcement, which Ankara had been expecting. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.
