Iraq has repatriated 352 Iraqi migrants who entered Libya illegally over the past two years, according to Iraqi Chargé d’Affaires in Libya Ahmed Al-Sahaf.
Speaking to Iraq’s official news agency, Al-Sahaf said the Iraqi Embassy in Tripoli had continued intensive efforts since reopening two years ago to assist Iraqi nationals stranded in Libya after falling victim to human trafficking and smuggling networks.
He explained that the embassy successfully coordinated the return of 352 migrants who had entered Libya through illegal routes while attempting to migrate toward Europe.
Al-Sahaf added that the embassy is still working with Libyan authorities to determine the fate of additional Iraqi migrants believed to remain inside Libya. He said investigations are ongoing through official channels after receiving information regarding other missing or detained Iraqi nationals.
The diplomat noted that the Iraqi mission in Tripoli had provided extensive humanitarian, medical and consular assistance to vulnerable Iraqi migrants during the past two years. He said many young Iraqis had become trapped by organised trafficking gangs operating across migration routes in North Africa.
According to Al-Sahaf, the embassy has repeatedly warned Iraqi families through social media platforms and official communication channels about the dangers of illegal migration and the risks posed by smuggling and extortion networks.
Libya remains one of the main transit countries for irregular migrants seeking to reach Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia continue to cross into Libya through desert routes before attempting dangerous sea crossings toward southern Europe.
International organisations, including the International Organization for Migration, have repeatedly raised concerns over the humanitarian conditions facing migrants inside Libya, particularly in detention centres and remote smuggling routes across the southern desert.
Libyan authorities have intensified anti-smuggling operations in recent months, amid growing regional pressure to combat illegal migration and human trafficking networks operating along the country’s borders.