SYRIA TO HAVE WORLD’S LARGEST REFUGEE POPULATION :UN

New York, 26 Rabiul Akhir 1435 / 26 February 2014 (MINA) – The United Nations says Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict in the Arab country are about to replace Afghans as the biggest refugee population in the world.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that nearly 2.5 million Syrians have now registered as refugees with UNHCR in neighboring countries in the Middle East.

“Five years ago Syria was the world’s second-largest refugee hosting country. Syrians are now about to replace Afghans as the present biggest refugee population worldwide,” he said.

Afghan refugee population is 2.55 million, according to the UNHCR website, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“And it breaks my heart to see this nation that for decades welcomed refugees from other countries ripped apart and forced into exile itself,” Guterres added.

He also called on the international community to make more efforts to help the Syrian refugees and the neighboring countries, which are hosting them.

Guterres warned that the conflict in Syria might spill over into other countries in the region, saying a further destabilization in the Middle East “could have disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.”

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 130,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the unrest.  (T/E01/IR)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)