1991 Uprising & Safe Haven
Following Iraq's defeat in the 1991 Gulf War, Kurds rose up in the March Uprising (Raperrin), briefly liberating most of Kurdistan before Saddam's forces counterattacked with helicopter gunships, driving over 2 million Kurdish refugees toward the Turkish and Iranian borders. The humanitarian catastrophe compelled international intervention: the US, UK, and France established a no-fly zone north of the 36th parallel via Operation Provide Comfort. In May 1992, the first free elections in Kurdistan's history established the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). However, a power-sharing breakdown between the KDP and PUK led to a devastating Kurdish civil war (1994-1997), during which the KDP controversially invited Iraqi troops to help capture Erbil from the PUK in 1996. The Mykonos assassination (1992) in Berlin, where Iranian agents murdered KDPI leader Sadegh Sharafkandi, brought international attention to Iran's campaign against Kurdish leaders. The Washington Agreement of 1998 ended the civil war and established a dual administration.
Key Events
- Gulf War: Iraqi invasion of Kuwait triggers international coalition response (1990-1991)
- 1991 Kurdish Uprising (Raperrin): Kurds briefly liberate most of Kurdistan (March 1991)
- Saddam counterattacks; 2+ million Kurdish refugees flee toward borders
- Operation Provide Comfort establishes no-fly zone over Iraqi Kurdistan (April 1991)
- Mykonos assassination: Iranian agents murder Kurdish leaders in Berlin (September 1992)
- First free Kurdish elections held; KRG established (May 1992)
- Kurdish civil war between KDP and PUK devastates the region (1994-1997)
- KDP controversially invites Iraqi troops to capture Erbil from PUK (1996)
- Oil-for-Food Programme brings development to Iraqi Kurdistan (1996-2003)
- Washington Agreement ends Kurdish civil war, establishes dual administration (1998)
Key Figures
President of the Kurdistan Region (2005-2017) and leader of the KDP. Oversaw the establishment of the KRG following the 1991 uprising and the first free Kurdish elections.
Leader of the PUK who administered the Sulaymaniyah region during the dual-administration period. Key diplomat in the Washington Agreement of 1998.
KDPI leader assassinated by Iranian agents at the Mykonos restaurant in Berlin on September 17, 1992. The German court's verdict implicating Iran's top leadership caused a diplomatic crisis.