See updates below. The Assyrian Policy Institute is deeply concerned by initial reports that four humanitarian workers employed by the French NGO SOS Chrétiens d'Orient have been missing since January 20, 2020 after traveling to Baghdad, Iraq. Among the missing persons is Tareq Khidr Mattoka, an Iraqi Assyrian from Bakhdida (Qaraqosh) who was employed as a translator. The group had traveled to Baghdad "to renew their visas and register the association with Iraqi authorities."
SOS Chrétiens d'Orient has been active in Iraq since 2014, primarily in northern Iraq, and focuses on providing support to Christians across the Middle East.
No ransom demand has been made as of yet and no group has claimed responsibility for their disappearance. Their disappearance comes amid months of unrest in Baghdad and growing tensions among various actors in the region.
Update (March 26, 2020): According to a statement published by SOS Chrétiens d'Orient, the four humanitarian workers who went missing on January 20, 2020 were released on March 26, 2020.