Over 60 Million Refugees Worldwide - Jolie Says

Angelina speaks during a news conference after meeting with Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the government palace in Beirut — Angelina Jolie speaks during a news conference after meeting with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam in Beirut

Beirut, 06 Jumadil Akhir 1437/16 March 2016 (MINA) – Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said Tuesday the number of refugees around the world has exceeded 60 million people, the highest since World War Two.

Jolie, at a news conference following visits to Syrian refugee camps in Bekaa, East Lebanon, said “we are facing a very difficult time internationally, as the consequences of the refugee crisis are exceeding our capabilities and even our courage to face it.”

She said she wished the fifth anniversary of the Syrian crisis would have been a chance for her to help the Syrian refugees return to their homes, but “we are far from reaching this objective.”

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Jolie said the living conditions of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon have worsened.

She added that most of the refugees she met said they wanted to return to their country once the conflict ended and security was restored, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting KUNA.

She said the neighboring countries were bearing the brunt of the Syrian conflict, hosting 4.8 million refugees. This is in addition to the 6.5 million internally displaced within Syria.

Jolie thanked Lebanon for hosting more than a million Syrian refugees, who make up one-third of the population in Lebanon. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)