Two years after the First Congress was held, and due to several changes and developments in the internal Situation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Kurdistan Students Union organization, the Union held its second congress in Year 1955 secretly in the city of Baghdad.
Immediately after the founding of the Kurdistan Students Union in 1953, the (General Union of Students of Iraq) attempted to slow down the joining of Kurd students to the Kurdistan Students Union by creating new organizations and granting them privileges. For this purpose, an organization called the (General Union of Students of Iraqi Kurdistan) was created, which is a branch of the General Union of Students of Iraq, under the pretext of organizing the struggle of all students of Iraq in one organization. On October 8, 1953, the newspaper Kifah al-Talaba announced the establishment of the Supreme Committee of the General Union of Students of Iraqi Kurdistan. On March 1, 1954, the organization issued a statement called the General Union of Democratic Kurd Students in Iraq, in which they called on all Kurd students to unite within their organization and within the framework of the (General Union of Students of Iraq).
These factors and many others led to the emergence of tensions between the Kurdistan Students Union and the General Union of Students of Iraq. This is in addition to many other internal factors of the Party, especially the internal divisions that occurred during the absence of the leader Mustafa Barzani, which made the Students Union work to hold its second congress.
Holding the Congress
After preparations, and in the summer of Year 1955, under the slogan (Student struggle without stopping for the rights of the people and students of Kurdistan) for the struggle of the Iraqi national movement and progressive Parties, the Kurdistan Students Union held its second congress in Baghdad in the presence of Delegates of the Kurdistan Students Union from all regions of Kurdistan and Baghdad. The Congress Delegates met secretly in Baghdad, and after discussing the situation of the Congress and voting, Jalal Talabani was re-elected as Secretary of the organization, and a new secretariat body was elected as follows:
1- Mahmoud Ali Othman
2- Shams al-Din al-Mufti
3- Husam al-Din al-Dabbagh
4- Adnan Naqshbandi
5- Shakhwan Namiq
6- Ahmed Naqshbandi
As for the elected president of the Kurdistan Students Union at the second congress, we do not have confirmed information from any of the available sources, so according to estimates and interpretations, the presidential system may have been abolished.
After the congress was held, the Kurdistan Students Union was revitalized and attempted to expand its relations and activities. One of the most important activities of the organization was its participation in the Warsaw Festival for students and youth of the world.
In the period from July 31 to August 14, 1955, the Fifth World Festival of Students and Youth was held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, with the participation of more than 100 international student and youth organizations. The Kurdistan Students Union and the General Union of Students of Iraq were officially invited to attend the carnival. After the second congress, the relations of the Kurdistan Students Union with the General Union of Students of Iraq improved, which facilitated the participation of the Students Union in the festival and its membership in the International Union of Students (I.U.S).
). Six Delegates were sent, wearing the badge of the leader Mustafa Barzani on their shoulders, to Warsaw by the Students Union led by Jalal Talabani. In addition to participating in the festival activities on behalf of the Kurd students, a large meeting was held for the Kurdistan Students Union and the Kurdistan Democratic Youth Union in the presence of representatives of several countries such as the Soviet Union, India, Germany, China, France, England, the United States of America, and several other countries. The meeting had a major impact on conveying the voice of the students and youth and the Kurd national cause to the entire world.
At the same festival, a meeting was organized by (Jerzy Pelikan), President of the International Union of Students, between representatives of the Kurdistan Students Union and the General Union of Students of Iraq in order to end the problems between them. After the meeting, the two organizations agreed on several points and decided to try to improve relations between them.
As agreed in Warsaw, and after their return in early Year 1956, a joint congress was held between the Kurdistan Students Union and the General Union of Students of Iraq, which discussed how to integrate the work and activities of the two organizations. A joint supreme Committee was formed to supervise and coordinate the work of the two organizations, and three Members of the secretariat of the Kurdistan Students Union were appointed to the secretariat of the General Union of Students of Iraq, but in 1957, relations between the two organizations cooled again.
Regarding the struggle of the Kurd student segment, the (Association of Culture and Kurd Students in Europe) was established in West Germany on August 10, 1956. It held its second congress on December 2, 1958, in London, and its third congress on August 4 in the city of Munich in Germany, and its name was changed to (Association of Kurd Students in Europe), and branches were opened in most European countries. Despite its neutrality, the majority of its Members were supporters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and they had good relations with the Kurdistan Students Union. In Year 1964, the association became a Member of the (International Union of Students) and played an important role in conveying the voice of the Kurd to foreign countries and their cultural centers.
Sources:1- Bangi Yeketi Gishti Qutabiyani Demokratiani Kurdi Iraq, Yeketi Gishti Qutabiyani Demokratiani Kurdi Iraq, Chapkhaney Lawani Kurd, 1/March/1954.
2- Majid Hassan Ali, The Kurd Student Movement in Iraq (1926-1970), Master's Thesis/Salahaddin University in Erbil 2008, Spirez Publications, (Hewler- Haji Hashim Press).
3- Erfan Aziz Aziz, Congresses and Conferences of the Kurdistan Students Union, First Edition, (Hewler- Rojhelat Press- 2012).
4- Sasan Awni, Kurdistan Students Union: Aspects of Struggle and History, (Hewler- Ministry of Education Press- 1998).
5- Khabati Qutabiyan Magazine, In a special interview, President Talabani reveals the details of the founding of the (K.S.U), Issue 109, (June 2012).
6- Salah Rashid, Mam Jalal: A Life's Journey from Youth to the Presidential Palace, Part One, Second Edition, (Suleimani- Karo Press- 2017).
7- Sirwan Othman Hassan, A Shining History and an Unbroken Caravan, (Hewler- Roshinbiri Press- 2014).
8- Ismet Cherif Vanly, From the Memoirs of Ismet Cherif Vanly, (Suleimani- Peremer Press- 2014), Arif Rushdi Arif, Association of Kurd Students in Europe 1956 – 1975, (Suleimani- Publications of the Academy of Awareness and Cadre Development- 2012).