The fate of multiple Kurdish migrants missing in Libya and the Mediterranean remains uncertain, prompting the Association of Returned Migrants from Europe to demand answers from Kurdistan and Iraqi authorities.

Peshraw Abdullah, a representative of the association, an organization that tracks migration trends and advocates for the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, told ⁠Channel8 that the fate of six Kurdish migrants has remained unknown since March of this year, amid suspicions that they vanished while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

Abdullah called on officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government to reveal the fate of these migrants.

DNA Tests to Identify Missing Kurdish Youth 

He emphasized the necessity of conducting DNA testing for the families of the missing migrants within the Raparin Administration zone to help determine what happened to them.

The representative noted that this request aims to gather information on individuals who set off from Libya toward Europe and subsequently lost all contact.

Kurdish Migrants Risk Deadly Libya Sea Route 

Kurdish migrants are increasingly choosing the dangerous route through Libya because traditional borders have tightened, and the sea journey to Italy is significantly faster.

However, this Central Mediterranean corridor has become the world's most predatory route, where hundreds vanish as overcrowded, unseaworthy boats easily capsize.

Because many bodies are never recovered, refugee associations are urging for DNA testing for families in regions like Raparin and Ranya to help identify their missing loved ones.

Mediterranean Casualties Mount Despite Successful Repatriation Flights 

According to official statistics, since the beginning of 2024, a total of 1,370 migrants have drowned or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting to reach European countries.

Between late 2025 and January 2026, the Kurdistan Regional Government successfully repatriated hundreds of stranded Kurdish migrants from dangerous Libyan detention camps using emergency military flights."