Kurdish leader calls on PKK to disarm & dissolve, leaving Polisario & Algeria in utter dismay

The Algeria-backed polisario armed militias have been hit with a fresh blow after Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish separatist group PKK, called on his outlawed movement to lay down its arms and dissolve itself to end a four-decade long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

“Convene your congress and make a decision. All groups must lay their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself,” the jailed leader said Thursday in a statement read out by Turkish lawmakers from a pro-Kurdish party.

“There is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realization of a political system,” added Ocalan’s statement, affirming that “democratic consensus is the fundamental way”.

Last month, some members of the PKK/YPG took part in a meeting organized by the Polisario in Tindouf camp, Southern Algeria, showing the alliance between the Kurdish and polisario separatist groups. Several Turkish nationals, associations, and politicians had denounced the Algerian unfriendly move, which crossed the red-lines by undermining Turkey’s national security.

According to some experts, years of fighting have exhausted the PKK and Turkish authorities are seizing the opportunity to end the conflict in a way that ensures Ankara emerges as the winner.

Ocalan’s historic call for the PKK to disarm and disband represents a seismic shift not only for Turkey, which has waged a decades-long war against the group, but also for the whole region including Syria and Iraq.

The Algerian junta, de facto rulers, and their Polisario puppets should follow in their footsteps and seize the opportunity of the autonomy plan offered by Morocco for the Sahara under its sovereignty before the offer expires amid rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.