Set in the aftermath of the First Gulf War, Safe Haven follows the simultaneous crises unfolding in northern Iraq and in the halls of the British government. As Saddam Hussein’s forces suppress the Kurdish uprising, millions flee into the mountains, facing starvation and freezing conditions. While images of the catastrophe capture global attention, two diplomats in Whitehall, working alongside a Kurdish refugee, struggle to persuade the government to intervene before the crisis becomes irreversible.

The play is written by Chris Bowers, a former British diplomat who served in Iraqi Kurdistan, drawing directly on the events surrounding Operation Safe Haven — the mission that ultimately established a protected zone to prevent mass loss of life.

Blending accounts of political decision-making with depictions of Kurdish resilience, Safe Haven examines the forces, personal and institutional, that shaped a major moment in modern humanitarian intervention.