News release

Iraq: For families of missing persons, the search continues. Every missing person deserves to be found.

A woman in iraq holds a passport sized photograph of a missing relative

Baghdad, ICRC: On the International Day of the Disappeared the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reaffirms the value of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) in addressing the issue of missing persons as well as of the identification and dignified treatment of the dead. The ICRC calls for effective and coordinated action to prevent all persons from going missing, to allow separated families to restore contact, stay in touch, and to clarify the fate and whereabouts of the missing.

In Iraq, many people have gone missing in different rounds of conflicts, with countless still remaining unaccounted for.  The ICRC has documented 618 cases of missing persons from January – June 2024, while the fate and whereabouts of 208 persons have been clarified. Each missing person represents a family in anguish, struggling with the pain of uncertainty and the profound impact on their daily lives and wider communities. The need for a coordinated effort to locate, recover, identify, and return the human remains of the missing is an urgent issue as well. The ICRC calls on all authorities to enhance mechanisms and resources for this task, ensure respect for the deceased and provide families with the information and support they need for a resolution to their uncertainty.  

“The disappearance of a loved one leaves a deep void that time cannot fill,” said Ikhtiyar Aslanov, head of the ICRC delegation in Iraq. “The pain is passed down from generation to generation, as families continue their search for answers. Every missing person matters, and their families have the right to know what happened to them. The search for answers is not just a legal obligation under international humanitarian law- it is a moral imperative. It is essential that all parties, from local communities to state authorities, come together to address this issue with the urgency and compassion”.

"I have a 15-year-old son. Every time he sees a young boy walking with his father, he says, 'Look at them, Mom. I was deprived of my father. Even if he returns and can't provide for us, I just want to be able to say the word "father" again,'" shares Haifaa, still awaits the news of her husband who went missing in 2017. 

Shireen, who lost her 30-year-old son in 2014, she describes him as a "little father" to his siblings, with a kind heart and joyful spirit. "Every time I start to think he’s gone for good, he appears in my dreams," she shared. She and her daughter grow pink flowers as a symbol of hope and positivity, believing that her beloved son is still alive.

The ICRC is committed to support the Iraqi authorities in their efforts to address the issues of missing persons. Through technical support, legal advice and the promotion of international humanitarian law, the ICRC continues to advocate for an all-encompassing approach that upholds the right of every missing individual to be found and the rights of their families to know about their fate and whereabouts.

As we observe the International Day of the Disappeared, we reaffirm our commitment to support all efforts in continuing the search for missing persons as every one of them deserves to be found. 

ICRC in Iraq

The ICRC has been working in Iraq since 1980, and its main activities are visiting detainees, reuniting separated families, and clarifying the fate of missing persons, as well as disseminating and promoting international humanitarian law among all sectors of Iraqi society. The ICRC also works to mitigate the effects of climate change and help communities adapt in the long term through the rehabilitation of water treatment plants, drinking water pumps, water networks and irrigation systems. It also provides support to hundreds of affected families by providing cash assistance to help them restore their livelihoods in close cooperation with the Iraqi National Red Crescent Society.

Facts and figures during 2023

  • Over 1,500 new cases were collected and reported as missing to the ICRC in Iraq by their families at the end of 2023. Over the same period, the fate of 361 missing persons registered by ICRC was clarified. 
  • The ICRC supports authorities in the search for those who went missing or died during the Iraq-Iran and Iraq-Kuwait wars and their bodies have yet not been recovered and identified. In 2023, under the auspices of the ICRC, the mechanism put in place managed to recover 111 sets of human remains which were handed-over by Iraq to Iran and 13 sets of human remains handed-over by Iran to Iraq. 
  • To ensure the dignity of the deceased is protected and safeguarded, ICRC supported the digitalization of more than 45,000 records, and over 1,660 tombs marked as part of our efforts at Al-Zubair Martyrs’ Centre in Basrah. 
  • The ICRC has provided vital material support and technical advice to the Medico-Legal Directorate in Baghdad and other provinces and to the Mass Grave Department of the Martyr’s Fundation in their efforts to search for and identify the human remains of the missing. 
  • In 2023, 9,484 Red Cross Messages were exchanged between separated family members, mostly between detainees and their relatives.

For more information, please contact:

Hiba Adnan, Spokesperson, ICRC Baghdad:  

M: +9647901916927

Email: hiadnan@icrc.org

Avin Yassin, ICRC 

Mobile : +964 771 994 5066 

Email: avyassin@icrc.org

To learn more about the ICRC’s activities in Iraq:

Visit our website and follow us on FacebookInstagram and Twitter