Kurdistan
Migrants attempting a dangerous English Channel crossing in a small and overloaded inflatable boat. File photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Around 6,500 people from the Kurdistan Region migrated abroad in 2025, with at least 11 losing their lives during dangerous journeys, a local refugee association said on Thursday.
“In 2025, around 6,500 people migrated from the Kurdistan Region, and 11 people lost their lives along the way,” Abubakar Ali, head of the Association of Returned Refugees (ARR), told Rudaw, adding that “migration is a human phenomenon that exists worldwide.”
Ali also addressed the situation of migrants detained along migration routes, noting that “hundreds were imprisoned; some have since been released, while others remain in detention in Libya, Tunisia, and Turkey.”
He highlighted the Raparin administration in Sulaimani province as one of the hardest-hit areas.
“About 1,500 people migrated from the Raparin region,” Ali said, adding that six of the 11 victims were from the area, followed by Garmyian and Zakho in Sulaimani and Duhok provinces, respectively.
Providing further details, Pishdar district Mayor Bakr Bayiz said migration from the Raparin administration rose sharply in mid-2025.
“Last year, more than 1,500 people from the Raparin area attempted to migrate,” he told Rudaw on Thursday. He noted that youth migration surged starting in June, particularly in July, before declining toward the end of the year.
Bayiz attributed the decline to seasonal conditions and tighter regulations. “Migration decreases during the cold season because staying in forests and remote areas becomes difficult, and routes become more dangerous,” he said. “In addition, countries have tightened their legal procedures for accepting refugees. These factors have all contributed to the decline.”
The mayor said Raparin experiences higher migration attempts than any other area in the Kurdistan Region. “There is hardly a household where one or two sons have not attempted to migrate,” he said.
Bayiz also warned of the growing involvement of minors. “The desire to migrate has reached a point where even youths as young as 15 are attempting to go abroad,” he said.
The Kurdistan Region has witnessed repeated waves of youth emigration over the past decade, largely driven by economic hardship and the pursuit of better opportunities abroad.
Officials and civil society organizations have repeatedly warned about the growing migration trend, citing high unemployment and limited economic prospects as the primary drivers.
In late October, Iraq repatriated 40 Kurds from the Kurdistan Region who had been stranded in Libya while attempting to reach Europe. Ahmed al-Sahaf, chargé d’affaires at Iraq’s diplomatic mission in Tripoli, told Rudaw at the time that Iraqi authorities had facilitated the return of 122 Kurds from Libya since late December 2023.
The Libya–Italy route has become increasingly popular among young people from Raparin seeking to reach Europe, as stricter controls have made the Turkey–Greece crossing less viable.
The journey typically takes around eight hours, compared to up to 72 hours via Greece, but can cost as much as $17,000 per person, much of it paid to militias controlling Libya’s coastline, according to Bakr Ali, head of the Association of Returned Refugees.
Solin Hamadamin contributed to this article from Erbil.
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