ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Twenty-four individuals from the Raparin administration in Sulaimani province, who had embarked on the perilous sea journey to reach Europe, have been returned to the Kurdistan Region after being detained for a month in Libya.
In an interview with Rudaw on Monday, Bahroz Ali, one of the returnees, described the harsh conditions they endured stating that there were 24 people from the Kurdistan Region “held in four very small cells,” each measuring “two meters long and one meter wide.”
Another returnee, Daniyar Ali, said the group had been “deceived by the smuggler.” He explained that “after we were arrested [in Libya], he never returned or checked on our situation, even though we had paid him three thousand dollars [each] to reach Libya.”
Meanwhile, Abdullah Idris, another survivor, recalled the terrible treatment they faced, remarking, “We were in really bad conditions. We were tortured and mentally abused. They treated us terribly,” he said, indirectly referring to their Libyan authorities.
In early July, Rudaw reported on the growing number of young people from the Raparin administration turning to the Libya-Italy sea route to reach Europe, with some reportedly paying smugglers up to $17,000 each.
Ranj Pishdari, a Europe-based migrant rights activist, then told Rudaw that more than 300 young people leave weekly through this route, which has become preferred over the traditional Turkey-Greece corridor due to increased border restrictions and longer crossing times.
Bakr Ali, head of the Association of Returned Refugees (ARR), explained that the Libya-Italy route is more attractive because the sea crossing takes roughly eight hours, compared to the 72-hour journey from Greece.
“Smugglers charge nearly $17,000 per person, and not all of that goes directly to them,” Ali said, adding that a significant portion of the money is paid to Libyan militia groups who control the coast and do not allow any migrants to depart without payment.
Rudaw also learned that one of the most influential smugglers operating in Libya is a Kurd from Raparin, identified by the initials H.K. Though based in Europe, he has temporarily relocated to Libya to oversee smuggling operations and organize sea crossings for Kurdish migrants.
Officials and civil society groups in Raparin described the migration trend as an “exodus,” highlighting the scale of the issue. They emphasize that the trend is driven largely by high unemployment and limited economic opportunities in the region.
Abubakr Ismail contributed to this article.
