The Iraqi Refugee Commission estimates that more than 75,000 Iraqis have left the country since January 2022 and that nearly 40 have drowned on their migratory route to reach mainly Europe.
One of the commission’s officials, Amanj Said, explained that more than half of the Iraqis who have left the country, some 38,000 are residents of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
«From January 1 to October 1, 38 people have drowned, 27 others are missing, not to mention those detained in camps and prisons,» he told Shafaq News.
The refugee official reiterated that «all these people are living in extreme conditions» and stressed that «the war between Russia and Ukraine has taken a toll on all refugees in Europe, especially with the worsening of the fuel crisis as winter bites.»
Said has questioned migration policies of countries such as the UK, which has decided to put the arrival of families before individuals. «Decisions like this could be counterproductive for Iraqis abroad,» he said.
