Several Kurdistan Region migrants stranded in Mediterranean Sea

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – It is estimated that there are 75 illegal immigrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea near Italy, including a number who hail from the Kurdistan Region.

Kurdistan 24 has learned that the majority of the migrants are from the Raparin independent administration. They left Greece last week and headed to Italy.

The migrants are demanding that Italian naval guard forces rescue them from danger, as they fear their boat will sink at any given moment due to its overcrowded conditions.

According to official figures, from 2015 until the present day, 319 Kurdish and Iraqi migrants have died in European territories, and 236 others are missing.

Economic and social factors, in addition to security, are the major rationales for migration out of the Kurdistan Region.

Since 2015, an estimated 633,000 people in the Kurdistan Region have migrated to Europe.

In September 2020, the European Commission presented a New Pact on Migration and Asylum, a package of reforms that it hopes to see adopted by spring 2024. It notably concerns compulsory help between EU members in the care of asylum seekers and a strengthening of the continent's external borders.

Smuggler networks in the Kurdistan Region frequently exploit desperate, impoverished residents who, for a steep price costing several thousands of US dollars, are promised safe delivery to Europe. In reality, the method of transportation relies on hazardous, makeshift dinghies occupied well beyond their capacities that are prone to sinking.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani previously stated his cabinet is taking all necessary measures to crack down on smuggling networks in the Kurdistan Region.