Due to the peace process, 500 villages in Kurdistan are expected to be restored
As part of renewed peace efforts between Turkey and the Kurdish region in the country’s southeast, jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to issue a new message in the coming days calling for disarmament. According to sources familiar with the process, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been chosen as the symbolic stage for this gesture, where a public ceremony will mark the handover of weapons by PKK fighters — a move intended to underscore a fresh phase of reconciliation.
As Turkish lawmakers prepare to establish a new parliamentary commission for peace talks with the country’s Kurdish population, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to deliver a formal message in the coming days, calling on his group to disarm.
According to Turkish media reports, the Kurdistan Region has been chosen as the location for a symbolic disarmament ceremony, with Kurdish, Turkish, and international media invited to attend. A number of senior PKK commanders are expected to participate in what organizers describe as the formal launch of a new phase in the Turkey–Kurdish peace process.
In line with the agreement, a group of 50 PKK fighters stationed in the border areas between Duhok province and southeastern Turkey will surrender their weapons in front of the press within the next 10 days.
The announcement comes after decades of armed conflict that has left hundreds of villages in ruins. Riving Heruri, former head of the Kurdistan Parliament’s Peshmerga Committee, said more than 360 villages in Duhok province alone were evacuated due to clashes between PKK fighters and Turkish forces. In the Amêdî district, 197 villages were reportedly emptied, with an additional 127 villages still caught in the crossfire in areas like Nerwa, Rekan, Duskê Jwêrî, and Nihêl. “This war has brought a humanitarian catastrophe,” Heruri said.
Heruri added that the Kurdistan Parliament had previously formed multiple committees, including joint field visits with Iraq’s Defense and Security Committee. “We documented the damage, the displacement, and the casualties. Our reports were submitted to the parliament’s leadership and passed on to relevant authorities in Baghdad. We hope this new peace effort will be taken seriously. Hundreds of villages can return to life after 40 years of conflict,” he said.
He stressed that war is no longer a viable solution to the Kurdish issue in Turkey. “It’s become clear that this cannot be resolved through military means. Peace is the only path forward.”
On Thursday, February 27, 2025, a delegation from Imrali prison — where Ocalan is held — read his message aloud in both Kurdish and Turkish during a televised press conference. The message was widely seen as a green light to begin disarmament and marked what many hopes will be the PKK’s final exit from armed struggle.
The Kurdish Globe