PKK declares unilateral cease-fire, hopes the 10th time's a charm
Heeding calls by Kurdish politicians and civil society, the PKK announced a unilateral cease-fire ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, but Ankara continues to target the militants.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — On Oct. 10, shortly after two suicide bombers wreaked a bloodbath at a peace rally in Ankara, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced a unilateral cease-fire — its 10th since 1993. The government has snubbed the move as a ploy, and operations against the PKK are continuing with critical elections less than three weeks away. Analysts underline it is the first time the PKK has heeded cease-fire calls from the Kurdish political movement, warning that snubbing the gesture could perpetuate and legitimize violence.
The cease-fire statement, issued by the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), a PKK-led umbrella organization, said “a decision was made to shift to a state of non-hostility, taking into account appeals from inside and outside Turkey.”
The statement read, “Our movement has decided to shift the guerrilla forces to a state of non-hostility as long as our [Kurdish] people and guerrilla forces are not attacked." It continued, “During this process, our forces will avoid planned actions, refrain from any movement other than keeping their current positions, and make no attempts that could prevent or impede the holding of fair elections.”
The PKK move came after a bloody spiral of violence since late July, when settlement talks between Ankara and the rebels collapsed. The PKK’s previous “non-hostility” decision had come in 2012, evolving into an indefinite cease-fire the following year. Meanwhile, Ankara launched talks with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, raising hope for a negotiated settlement of the three-decade conflict. Kurdish hopes grew further in the June 7 polls, as the Kurdish-dominated Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) passed the 10% threshold to enter parliament, clinching 80 seats, mainly at the expense of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The optimism, however, was short-lived as violence erupted anew in what many see as a government maneuver to discredit the HDP and restore its parliamentary majority.
