ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The body of a Kurdish migrant who had been hospitalized for more than six weeks in Romania was repatriated to the Kurdistan Region on Thursday.
Mohammed Zahir, 27, from the Raniya district of Sulaimani province, was a college graduate. On December 19, he was critically injured when the vehicle he was traveling in overturned in Romania. After 44 days in the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries, a family member told Rudaw’s Farhad Dolamari.
His body was returned to the Kurdistan Region on Thursday, with the costs of repatriation covered by a philanthropist from his hometown.
Around 6,500 people from the Kurdistan Region migrated abroad in 2025, with more than a dozen losing their lives during dangerous journeys, according to the Association of Returned Refugees (ARR).
The Kurdistan Region has experienced repeated waves of youth emigration over the past decade, largely driven by economic hardship and the pursuit of better opportunities abroad.
Officials and civil society organizations have repeatedly warned about the growing migration trend, citing high unemployment and limited economic prospects as the primary factors.
In recent years, the Libya–Italy route has become increasingly popular among young people from Raparin seeking to reach Europe, as stricter controls have made the Turkey–Greece crossing less viable.
In late October, Iraq repatriated 40 Kurds from the Kurdistan Region who had been stranded in Libya while attempting to reach Europe. Ahmed al-Sahaf, chargé d’affaires at Iraq’s diplomatic mission in Tripoli, told Rudaw at the time that Iraqi authorities had facilitated the return of 122 Kurds from Libya since late December 2023.