SUMMARY

Following the 1992 parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, KDP (Partiya Demokrata Kurdistan; Kurdish Democratic Party) and PUK (Yekitiya Nistimaniya Kurdistan; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) received over 40 percent of the votes each and were the only parties to be represented in the parliament. The parties thus decided to share power but it was not long before there appeared to rupture in the cooperative spirit. KDP, led by Massoud Barzani, and PUK, led by Jalal Talabani, subsequently ended up in a political power struggle. The next elections that could alter the power division were scheduled for 1995, which meant that both parties were keen to gain as much popular support as possible. At the same time, a new actor had entered the arena, IMK (Islamic Movement of Kurdistan) which was involved in an on-going conflict with PUK (for more information on that conflict, see the IMK–PUK conflict). Adding to this, a conflict over territory between two tribes, one supporting KDP and the other PUK, was sparked and soon the two parties were in open armed conflict with each other.

While it is impossible to state any of these factors as the unique cause of the armed conflict it is clear that the first clashes, which took place in May 1994, were followed by four years of attacks between the parties. Besides the armed attacks, KDP at one point in 1995 cut the supply of water and food to the city of Arbil, which PUK had gained control of the previous year. KDP also joined forces with the regime in Bagdad for a while in an attempt from both sides to bring as much harm to their common enemy as possible.

Turkey, and later the USA and the UK tried to convince the parties to cease the armed struggle. When, in 1997, PUK launched a major campaign against KDP, Turkey reacted and intervened in the conflict. The Turkish intervention was also a reaction against the support that PUK was receiving from PKK (Partiya Karkeran Kurdistan; Kurdistan Workers Party). After the intervention the parties finally started making progress in the so-called Ankara Process. The situation seemed to calm down in 1998 and by a negotiated agreement was concluded between KDP and PUK, under which the parties agreed to share power in a transition period until multi-party elections could be held. This agreement was referred to as the Washington Agreement and was signed in September1998.

The non-state conflict between KDP and PUK is first included in UCDP data in 1994. In June of that year violent, clashes between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.