Millions forced away from homelands

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-18  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CONFLICTS in Afghanistan and Iraq are forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, driving up the global number of refugees after several years of decline, the United Nations refugee agency said yesterday.

UNHCR said in its annual report that 11.4 million refugees were living outside their countries last year, compared with 9.9 million in 2006. A further 26 million were displaced within their own countries, up from 24.2 million the year before.

The group said almost half the world's refugees are from Afghanistan and Iraq. UNHCR said there are 3 million displaced Afghans, most in neighboring Pakistan and Iran, and 2 million Iraqi refugees, mostly in Syria and Jordan. A further 2.4 million Iraqis are internally displaced, an increase of 600,000 since the start of 2007.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said that until 2005 there had been several years of decline as refugees returned to countries including Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Angola.

"Now, unfortunately, with the multiplication of conflicts and the intensification of conflicts, the number is on the rise again," he said.

Guterres spoke amid the tents, food rations and jugs of water of a mock refugee camp set up yesterday in London's Trafalgar Square ahead of World Refugee Day on Friday.

Most refugees end up taking shelter in neighboring countries.