PUK to host Social Democratic Alliance event following deadly Sulaymaniyah clashes

SULAYMANIYAH — Sulaymaniyah is preparing to host the Conference of the Social Democratic Alliance in the Arab World later this month, only days after clashes between security forces and supporters of opposition leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi left casualties and heightened political tensions.

The conference, scheduled for Aug. 28–30, is being hosted by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which identifies itself as a social democratic party. PUK President Bafel Talabani and Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid are expected to attend.

Organizers said the gathering will bring together representatives of regional social democratic parties, women’s and youth groups, and members of the Global Progressive Alliance. “The event will address peace and security, states in transition, and the renewal of social democracy,” the Alliance said in a statement.

The timing of the meeting has drawn attention. On Thursday night, PUK-affiliated forces surrounded the Lalazar Hotel in Sulaymaniyah, where Sheikh Jangi was staying. Hours of clashes followed, leaving three security personnel confirmed dead and reports of dozens more killed and wounded. Lahur Sheikh Jangi, Talabani’s cousin and former PUK co-leader, was detained along with his associates.

Many nearby properties were severely damaged.

The People’s Front, led by Sheikh Jangi, won two seats in the 2024 Kurdistan parliamentary elections. His arrest has sparked widespread debate and concern across the Kurdistan Region and beyond.

Talabani was elected in 2024 as one of nine co-leaders of the Global Progressive Alliance, a bloc of 119 social democratic parties. The Social Democratic Alliance in the Arab World acts as the alliance’s regional coordinator and is organizing the Sulaymaniyah conference.