As European dream fades, Iraqi Kurds return home
Thousands of Kurds who fled to Europe are now seeking to return to Iraq after facing an even harsher reality there.
Newroz almost drowned in his quest for a better life in Europe, but when he reached the promised land, his dreams failed to materialize. After arriving in Germany in August, Newroz, who chose not to reveal his full name, was placed in a temporary refugee camp in Dortmund, where he must wait for his asylum application to be processed.
“I am going insane,” the 28-year-old Kurd told Al-Monitor via telephone from Germany. "The food is bad and I don’t know when I will get out of the camp.”
Newroz is one of hundreds of Kurds to have risked their lives and paid thousands of dollars to smugglers to get them from Iraq to Europe this year, only to find themselves no better off.
A growing number are now signing up to return to the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which helps migrants to return to their country of origin and provides some financial assistance through its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration program.
