Iraqi Kurds mourn deaths from Mediterranean migration

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— In Iraqi Kurdistan, Khadija Hussein anxiously waits at home, clinging to a faint hope for news about survivors from the shipwreck that took 11 of her family members from Turkey to Italy.

Khadija’s nephew Rebwar, along with his sister-in-law Mojdeh and their families, were aboard a sailing boat that sank off the Italian coast between Sunday night and Monday morning.

Twelve people were rescued, but tragically one person died shortly after being rescued. More than 60 others remain missing, with six bodies recovered by the Italian coastguard on Wednesday.

“We know Mojdeh survived because we spoke to her on the phone,” Khadija, a 54-year-old housewife, told AFP. Mojdeh’s son and another child also survived, but the fate of the eight other relatives on board is still unknown.

“We have very little information,” Khadija added, her face covered with a black veil.

Outside their home in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, a notice announces a vigil on Wednesday for receiving condolences.

Photos of the victims, smiling parents and children dressed in their best clothes, adorn the walls. Mojdeh is pictured with her husband Abdel Qader, a taxi driver, while her sister Hiro and her husband Rebwar, a blacksmith, also appear in family snapshots.

The decision to embark on this perilous journey almost didn’t happen. “They had told their parents, and everyone felt a sense of relief,” Khadija recounted. However, under pressure from a smuggler, they changed their minds.

“They were supposed to contact us once they reached Europe to start a new life,” Khadija said. “However, as hours went by, we received no updates.”

The smuggler had turned off their phone, leaving the family in anguish. The news of such tragedies along Europe’s migrant routes is sadly becoming commonplace for Iraqi Kurds.

In Erbil, at a schoolyard where a vigil is held, grieving women sit together under a tent dressed in black, their sorrow palpable amid the quiet except for children’s cries.

Meanwhile, at the mosque, men gather to receive condolences, finding solace in verses from the Quran.

Kamal Hamad, Rebwar’s father, spoke to his son just days before the tragedy. “They knew the risks of sea travel like this meant almost certain death,” the 60-year-old lamented. “Why did they leave? Life here in our country is better.”

Despite being relatively prosperous compared to other parts of Iraq, the Kurdish region faces its own challenges with corruption, limited job opportunities, and disillusionment among the youth.

According to the International Organization for Migration, over 3,000 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean last year alone.

The majority of those on the ill-fated boat were Kurds from Iraq and Iran, alongside some Afghans, as confirmed by Bakr Ali of the Association of Migrants Returned from Europe.

Bakhtiar Qader, Rebwar’s cousin, struggles to understand why the two couples risked everything. “They owned houses, cars, had children, and stable jobs,” he lamented. “We all pleaded with them not to go, but they couldn’t foresee the danger ahead.”

In the wake of this tragedy, the Kurdish community mourns the loss of loved ones, grappling with the harsh realities of seeking a better life far from home.

A suspected migrant smuggler known as “Scorpion,” wanted in several European countries, has been captured in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Local authorities confirmed the arrest on Monday, following a BBC investigation that uncovered his whereabouts.

Kurdish security forces announced the apprehension of “Scorpion,” whose real name is Barzan Kamal Majeed, on May 12, 2024. The arrest came after extensive intelligence work and cooperation.

The BBC’s investigative report, titled “To Catch a Scorpion,” revealed Majeed’s presence in Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan. In an interview with the BBC, Majeed admitted to entering the human trafficking business in 2016 during a period when many migrants were seeking asylum in Europe.

Iraqi Kurdistan portrays itself as a region of stability, yet faces frequent criticism for limiting freedom of speech.

For decades, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by the Barzani clan, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by the Talabani family, have dominated the region.

Observers report that due to poor economic and political conditions in Iraqi Kurdistan under Barzani’s control, many people are leaving the region.

Iraqi Kurdistan is known as the most corrupt part of Iraq. Kurdish lawmakers and leaked documents suggest that billions of dollars from the region’s oil revenues cannot be accounted for.

Critics and observers frequently accuse the ruling Barzani clan in Iraqi Kurdistan of nepotism and enriching themselves through the oil business instead of benefiting the population. Massoud Barzani, leader of the KDP and head of the Barzani clan, wields significant power behind the scenes, according to analysts. His son, Masrour, serves as prime minister of the Kurdistan region, while his nephew, Nechirvan Barzani, is the president.

Massoud Barzani and his family control numerous commercial enterprises in Iraqi Kurdistan, collectively valued at several billion US dollars.