Leader Barzani marks 49th anniversary of Gulan Revolution: A legacy of Kurdish resilience

Shafaq News/ On Monday, Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani marked the 49th anniversary of the Gulan Revolution, praising the resilience and sacrifices of the Kurdish people and Peshmerga fighters in pursuit of freedom and dignity.

In a statement, Barzani described Gulan as “one of the most significant chapters in Kurdistan’s resistance,” and a natural extension of the Great September Revolution. Despite the unfavorable conditions and the forced displacement of thousands, he noted, the Gulan uprising was launched through a calculated and determined organizational and military strategy.

Barzani paid tribute to the fallen fighters and honored the courage of those who took up arms or endured hardship rather than surrender. “This uprising proved to the world that the will to fight for freedom in Kurdistan is unbreakable and ever-burning.”

The Gulan Revolution began in 1976 after the collapse of the 1975 Algiers Agreement, when the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) reorganized its resistance against the Baathist regime. Drawing on shifting dynamics in the Middle East, the movement reignited hope among Kurds for justice and self-rule.