Iraq vs. Kurdistan

1991 - 2003

Core issue: Kurdish people strove for greater autonomy within the Iraqi political system

Type of conflict ending: Conflict Withering

At the heart of the Iraq Kurdistan conflict was a fight for more autonomy for the Kurdish territories. Even though the autonomy agreement was signed already at the end of the First Iraqi-Kurdish War in 1970, it has never been fully implemented. Shortly after the Second Gulf War in the early 1990s, Kurdish forces took control over large portion of northern Iraq, which was then violently suppressed by the Iraqi government. The ensuing peace negotiations, over three rounds, were inconclusive, in part because of internal differences among the Kurds. Therefore, no agreement was signed. Throughout this period, violent clashes continued to erupt. Following the Iraq War in 2003, which ended with the ousting of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi Kurdistan was recognized as an autonomous region within the federal structure of Iraq. Constitutional changes were adopted in October 2005.

The unrest began on Kurdish territory on March 4, 1991, and by March 14, Kurdish forces had taken control over large portions of northern Iraq. The Iraqi government violently put down the Kurdish rebellion, which led to around 1.5 million Kurds fleeing the territory. From April 1991 through September 1991, negotiations took place between Jalal Talabani (the leader of the PUK - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) and Massoud Barzani (leader of the KDP - Kurdistan Democratic Party) with Saddam Hussein over the question regarding autonomy for Kurdistan. A draft agreement was not signed by the parties as there were disagreements among the Kurds with regards to the extent of autonomy. A ceasefire agreement left the question over the status of the territory unresolved.

After the 1992 elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, which at the time enjoyed some degree of autonomy, power was divided between Barzanis KDP and Talabanis PUK. The two parties did not manage to cooperate, which subsequently became a militarized conflict between both leaders in May 1994. The struggle for political power between the KDP and PUK forces led to a civil war in the country in the years between 1994-1997. The KDP engaged in implicit negotiations with the Iraqi government and in turn received support. In 1996, US forces helped the PUK against joint attacks by the KDP and Iraqi forces. In the same year, the Iraqi government withdrew its troops from Kurdistan and the conflict was terminated. In September 1998, the KDP and PUK concluded a final US-brokered peace (power-sharing) agreement.

Following the Iraq War in 2003, both the KDP and PUK became involved in Iraqi politics and participated successfully in elections. The end of the frozen conflict can be characterized as conflict withering, as it was a by-product of the Second Gulf War and lacked the original intention to transform the conflict.

Sources

BBC, 2016. "Remembering the Kurdish uprising of 1991", 7 April. <https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-35967389>

Byers, Michael, 2005. War Law: Understanding International Law and Armed Conflict, Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre.

Jones, James L., 2017. "Operation Provide Comfort: A forgotten mission with possible lessons for Syria", Foreign Policy. 6 February. <https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/06/operation-provide-comfort-a-forgotten-mission-with-possible-lessons-for-syria/>

Makovsky, A., 1998. Kurdish Agreement Signals New U.S. Commitment, Washington Institute. <https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/kurdish-agreement-signals-new-u.s.-commitment>

MAR project, 2010. Chronology for Kurds in Iraq (1918-2006), University of Maryland's Center for International Development and Conflict Management. <http://www.mar.umd.edu/chronology.asp?groupId=64504>

McDowall, David, 2004. A Modern History of the Kurds. New York: IB Tauris & Co.

Sarkees, Meredith Reid and Frank Wayman, 2010. Resort to War: 1816-2007, Washington, DC: CQ Press.

"UCDP - Uppsala Conflict Data Program: Iraq: Kurdistan", 2019. Accessed 28 August 2019 < https://ucdp.uu.se/#conflict/271>

Iraq´s Constitution, 2005. <https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iraq_2005.pdf?lang=en>.