There were 44 million refugees and displaced persons in the world last year due to wars and other armed conflicts, which is a record in the XNUMXth century, according to a report published today by the non-governmental Norwegian organization for refugees.
Out of 43,7 million refugees and displaced persons, 27,5 million of them are displaced in their own country. Another 16,2 million have fled their homeland, according to a report published on the occasion of World Refugee Day.
Those figures include the population that fled wars in previous years and still cannot return home. Half of the refugees and displaced persons are concentrated in five countries (Colombia, Sudan, Iraq, DR Congo, Somalia), and most flee from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, DR Congo and the Palestinian territories, the report points out.
"We have no reason for optimism," commented Elizabeth Rasmuson, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. "The numbers are increasing and there is no indication that the trend will stop," she added in a statement to TV2's Nihetskanalen. Last year, the number of displaced persons increased by 400.000 compared to 2009, and the number of refugees by 100.000.
Bonus video:
