Kurdish group PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey

The PKK calls for the release of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to lead a process of disarmament.

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In Saturday's statement, the PKK said it hoped Turkey would release Ocalan, who has been imprisoned in solitary confinement since 1999, so he could lead a process of disarmament.

It follows his call this week aimed at ending four decades of armed struggle in south-eastern Turkey in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.

His announcement came months after Devlet Bahceli, the leader of Turkey's ultra-nationalist MHP party and an ally of the Turkish government, launched an initiative to bring an end to the conflict.

The PKK - which stands for the Kurdistan Workers' Party - has waged an insurgency since 1984, with the initial aim of carving out an independent homeland for Kurds, who account for about 20% of Turkey's 85 million people.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkmg3kmmero

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