Kurd describes harrowing ordeal in Libya
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - One of the 25 Kurds who returned from Libya on Friday described the harrowing ordeal he endured at the hands of smugglers and prison guards in the north African nation where his attempt to reach Europe ended.
“The situation there is horrible,” said Ramyar Haidar. “A friend of mine asked for some bread and they [smugglers] put a gun to his head and were about to kill him.”
Haidar was among 25 Kurds, most from the town of Ranya in the Raparin administration of northern Sulaimani province, who were returned to Erbil through the joint efforts of the Kurdistan Region’s Department of Foreign Relations and the Iraqi consulate in Libya.
The Libya-Italy route is increasingly popular among youth from Raparin trying to get to Europe as tighter restrictions have made the Turkey-Greece crossing less viable. Dozens have been repatriated to the Kurdistan Region after being stranded in Libya.
Haidar spoke to Rudaw about the conditions in Libya’s prisons. “Each of us were given one loaf of bread a day,” he said. “We had lost all hope there. Even now I can not believe that I am finally back.”
He said some Kurds are still detained in Libya and their situation is “very bad.”
He advised his fellow Kurds not to take the same route he did. “Europe is not worth it. Whoever experiences what I have will know what I mean,” he said.
Ramyar’s father, Haidar Abdullah, said his son was repeatedly sold by smugglers. “Since July 14, my son had been in Tunisia for two months before going to Libya, where he was detained for over a month. Until now, smugglers have sold and transferred them seven times,” he told Rudaw.
Baghdad’s consulate in Libya is working to return 12 more people who are currently in Misrata, approximately 250 kilometers from the capital, Tripoli, Chargé d'Affaires Ahmed al-Sahaf told Rudaw on Thursday.
The Kurdistan Region has seen repeated waves of youth emigration over the past decade, largely driven by economic hardship and the search for better opportunities abroad.
The Libya-Italy journey typically takes around eight hours, compared to up to 72 hours through Greece, but can cost as much as $17,000 per person, much of it paid to militias that control Libya’s coast, according to Bakr Ali, head of the Association of Returned Refugees.
“The situation there is horrible,” said Ramyar Haidar. “A friend of mine asked for some bread and they [smugglers] put a gun to his head and were about to kill him.”
Haidar was among 25 Kurds, most from the town of Ranya in the Raparin administration of northern Sulaimani province, who were returned to Erbil through the joint efforts of the Kurdistan Region’s Department of Foreign Relations and the Iraqi consulate in Libya.
The Libya-Italy route is increasingly popular among youth from Raparin trying to get to Europe as tighter restrictions have made the Turkey-Greece crossing less viable. Dozens have been repatriated to the Kurdistan Region after being stranded in Libya.
Haidar spoke to Rudaw about the conditions in Libya’s prisons. “Each of us were given one loaf of bread a day,” he said. “We had lost all hope there. Even now I can not believe that I am finally back.”
He said some Kurds are still detained in Libya and their situation is “very bad.”
He advised his fellow Kurds not to take the same route he did. “Europe is not worth it. Whoever experiences what I have will know what I mean,” he said.
Ramyar’s father, Haidar Abdullah, said his son was repeatedly sold by smugglers. “Since July 14, my son had been in Tunisia for two months before going to Libya, where he was detained for over a month. Until now, smugglers have sold and transferred them seven times,” he told Rudaw.
Baghdad’s consulate in Libya is working to return 12 more people who are currently in Misrata, approximately 250 kilometers from the capital, Tripoli, Chargé d'Affaires Ahmed al-Sahaf told Rudaw on Thursday.
The Kurdistan Region has seen repeated waves of youth emigration over the past decade, largely driven by economic hardship and the search for better opportunities abroad.
The Libya-Italy journey typically takes around eight hours, compared to up to 72 hours through Greece, but can cost as much as $17,000 per person, much of it paid to militias that control Libya’s coast, according to Bakr Ali, head of the Association of Returned Refugees.