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Africa North
Thirty-three Kurdish migrants repatriated from Libya arrive in Erbil
2026-09-08
[Rudaw] Thirty-three young Kurdish migrants colonists stranded in Libya have been repatriated and have arrived in the Erbil International Airport, Iraq’s chargé d'affaires in Libya, Ahmed al-Sahhaf, told Rudaw on Monday, with three more awaiting completion of their paperwork before returning.

Speaking to Rudaw's Arez Khalid, Sahhaf said all of the 33 migrants colonists were celibate young men,
…possibly celibate is not the word he meant in this context…
aged between 16 to 27 years old. He said the embassy maintained good ties with the counter-illegal migration center
…how lovely that they have a center for it over there…
and the Government of National Unity 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...
. Sahhaf said that the migrants colonists had transited to Istanbul, where the KRG Department of Foreign Relations accompanied them back to Erbil.
I don’t think any government does this except the Iraqi Kurds
.He called on families to avoid getting in contact with human smugglers. "I would like to sieze this opportunity to issue a brotherly and national call from my position of responsibility to ask families to avoid dealing with smuggling bands."

Sahhaf also said they are now working with Libyan security authorities to establish the fate of possible migrants colonists from the Kurdistan Region whom might be located in Tajoura.

Last Wednesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it had completed all procedures to repatriate the 33 young migrants colonists who had been held at a shelter and counter-illegal migration center in Tripoli after attempting irregular migration to Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
and Western countries through Libya.

Driven in part by unemployment, economic hardship and the search for better opportunities, young people from the Kurdistan Region continue attempting to reach Europe through Libya and across the Mediterranean.

Sahhaf told Rudaw in mid-August that 36 migrants colonists from the Kurdistan Region had been located in Libya and were expected to be returned to Iraq. According to him, the remaining three migrants colonists are awaiting the completion of their paperwork before they are able to return.

Since December 2023, a total of 352 migrants colonists had also been repatriated from Libya.
That’s only a small fraction of those who passed through, headed to Europe.
"To date, the Kurdistan Regional Government has been able to rescue 302 illegal migrants colonists from various situations and return them to the Kurdistan Region," the KRG Ministry of Interior said in statement on Wednesday.
Related:
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Libya: 2026-09-05 American tourists urged to prepare wills, leave DNA samples as ‘unprecedented' crime, terror threats grip North African country
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Posted by:trailing wife

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