Due to disasters or conflicts, nearly 60 million people are internally displaced. A new record for the Internal Displacement Observatory. The reality is even much worse, says the NGO, since these figures do not take into account the crisis in Ukraine.
With our correspondent in Geneva, Jeremiah Lance
Natural disasters such as cyclones, floods or droughts are the main reasons that push people to flee within their country. This is especially true in Asia and the Pacific. In Africa and the Middle East, it’s more about conflict. Or at least it was. More and more countries are now affected by both phenomena, notes the director of the Observatory of Internal Displacements (Internal displacement monitoring center, IDMC), Alexandra Bilak.
“ These are situations that are becoming increasingly mixed, that is to say countries that are experiencing both displacement linked to conflict and violence and displacement linked to disasters. I am thinking in particular of countries like Afghanistan and Ethiopia, where people who have already been displaced by these conflicts are now displaced by climatic hazards”.
Children represent 50% of the displaced
Among the countries with the most displaced people, we still find Syria with 6.7 million people. Then the DRC, Colombia, Afghanistan and Yemen. And with 8 million displaced since the beginning of the year, Ukraine could even invite itself to the top of the next IDMC ranking, which we already know will undoubtedly set a new record. ” Durable solutions are not found at the national level, which means that the numbers each year only increase as new movements are registered and people are unable to return to their homes », addsAlexandra Bilak.
Another virtual certainty: global warming and its ravages will further push people to flee their country. Children represent 50% of all displaced people.