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Fri 24 06 2022
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More than 100 million people displaced for the first time

by bernt & torsten

For the first time in history, more than 100 million people have been displaced worldwide, the United Nations refugee agency says. New waves of violence and conflict have recently pushed the figure to a “bizarre milestone,” according to the UN.

Data from the UNHCR refugee agency shows that the number of people displaced by the end of last year had already risen to 90 million. Conflicts in Africa and countries like Afghanistan and Myanmar have since pushed that figure over the 100 million mark.

The UN also mentions the war in Ukraine, which this year has displaced 8 million people within Ukraine and more than 6 million fled abroad. Those numbers are still slowly rising.

Wake up call

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, calls 100 million a grim figure. “It is a record that should never have been set. This should serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflict, end persecution and address the root causes that force innocent people to flee their homes.”

He praises international efforts for the victims of the war in Ukraine as “overwhelmingly positive”, adding that things are not going that way everywhere. “We need a similar mobilization for all crises worldwide. But in the end humanitarian aid is only mitigation and not a solution.”

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