ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government brought back 12 people from the Kurdistan Region who spent nearly two months in Libya trying to reach Europe, a diplomat told Rudaw. “After nearly two months of efforts and follow-up, today we managed to return 12 citizens who were stranded in Libya while attempting to reach Europe through illegal means,” Ahmad Sahaf, the Iraqi Embassy’s chargé d'affaires in Libya, told Rudaw. “After coordinating with the Libyan government, they were returned today at 4:30 pm via Iraqi Airways," Sahaf added. All 12 were from the Kurdistan Region and had been staying in a refugee camp in Tripoli. “The Libyan government had housed them in a special refugee camp in the Tajura area of the country's capital," said Sahaf. Libya is a transit country for people trying to reach Europe because of its strategic geopolitical position and proximity to Italy. In 2024, around 719.000 migrants were registered in Libya, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration. In June, twin shipwrecks off the coasts of Italy’s Roccella Ionica and Lampedusa left more than 70 people dead and missing. Most of the passengers were Kurds from the Kurdistan Region and Iran’s western Kurdish areas, as well as others from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, and Syria. Around 20,000 people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region migrated out of the country in 2023, seeking a better life in Europe. At least nine of them lost their lives on the dangerous and illegal smuggling routes, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Affairs.
