[Rudaw] 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 Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
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
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
.
"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 Italia.
In 2024, around 719.000 migrants colonists were registered in Libya, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration.
In June, twin shipwrecks off the coasts of Italia’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, Pakistain, 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 bit the dust on the dangerous and illegal smuggling routes, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Affairs.
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