The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been fighting the Turkish state for over four decades. The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has waged an insurgency since 1984. The last round of peace talks with the PKK collapsed in October. The new ceasefire is expected to last until the end of the year, according to the PKK’s executive committee. It is the first time the PKK has agreed to a ceasefire with the Turkish government in more than 20 years. The Turkish government has stepped up pressure on the PKK, arresting hundreds of activists, politicians and journalists in recent weeks. The group has called for a ceasefire to be implemented from January 1, 2015. The ceasefire will last for a maximum of one year, the PKK said in a statement. The statement was issued by the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party (DPM), which is led by Abdullah Ocalan, a former PKK leader. The DPM is a breakaway party of the PKK that was formed in the 1980s after the PKK split from the Turkish National Party (TKP). The PKK has called on the DPM to hold a congress to decide on the future of the group, which has been at odds with the TKP for more than 30 years.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been fighting the Turkish state….
