Record number of people forcibly displaced

More people around the world are forcibly displaced today than ever before. Some 110 million people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of conflict, persecution and violence, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday.

The number of displaced people has increased by nearly 20 million in a year. The recent outbreak of conflict in Sudan was the main cause of the sharp rise, while the number had already peaked last year due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. ​ 

Two-thirds of people were internally displaced, while about one-third fled abroad, mainly to neighbouring countries. Three-quarters of those who fled abroad were hosted by low- and middle-income countries. 

“We see pushbacks. We see tougher and tougher immigration or refugee admission rules. We see in many countries the criminalisation of immigrants and refugees, blaming them for everything that has happened,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Grandi expressed concern about the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and the United States' refugee policy. Unicef also highlighted that the number of displaced children worldwide had reached a new high of 43.3 million, with the number of displaced children doubling in the last decade.

^{Migrants aboard the Sea-Watch 4 civil maritime rescue vessel off the coast of Sicily, Italy in 2020 © THOMAS LOHNES / AFP}