Iraq completes voluntary return of 70 migrants from Libya

Shafaq News – Baghdad

The Iraqi embassy in Tripoli completed procedures for the voluntary return of 70 Iraqi migrants who entered Libya illegally, Iraq’s chargé d’affaires in Libya, Ahmed al-Sahhaf, said on Monday.

In a statement, Al-Sahhaf said that efforts are continuing at a high pace to determine the fate of dozens of other Iraqi migrants across several areas of Libya. He added that the embassy is coordinating with the relevant Libyan authorities to locate the migrants and transfer them to designated shelter centers as a preliminary step toward arranging their voluntary return to Iraq.

“Human trafficking and smuggling networks continue to target Iraqi youth, he warned, stressing that Iraqi authorities are intensifying efforts to curb irregular migration routes through Libya.

Libya remains a key departure point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded nearly 895,000 migrants from 45 nationalities across 100 Libyan municipalities between May and July 2025, including a growing number of Iraqis.

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