An internally displaced child looks out of a bus while holding a pet cat at a refugee center in Zaporizhia, Ukraine.
Highlight
- Afghans make up for the largest refugee population worldwide
- Currently, there are about 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world.
- Amid Russia-Ukraine fighting, more than 6.6 million Ukrainians have fled the country
World Refugee Day: The escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine has brought a flood of sorrows. No matter where in the world, if a military conflict occurs, people in and around the region are obliged to be the first collateral. Similarly, in two cases of global turmoil, where the Taliban took Afghanistan back after US security withdrawal and Russia’s attempt to annex Ukraine continues, more than 12 million people have been left homeless.
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) count Globally more than 100 million people who are displaced and forced To avoid conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution. The staggering numbers of refugees have been driven by wars in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia. Ukraine has seen a mass exodus since Russia invaded the country in February.
Let me tell you about the case study
Afghanistan
Afghans make up for the largest refugee population worldwide. Currently, there are about 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world. 2.2 million of them are registered only in Iran and Pakistan. There is another 3.5 million people who are internally displaced, leaving their homes to seek asylum within the country. As the situation in Afghanistan continues to remain bleak today, this figure is likely to skyrocket in the next few years. The number of escapees is likely to increase further.
Why are the people of Afghanistan running away?
The people of Afghanistan have been affected by 40 years of conflict, natural disasters, chronic poverty, food shortages and most importantly COVID. According to the UNHRC, in recent days, “violence in Afghanistan has been deteriorating rapidly and spreading in reach – causes even more human suffering and displacement. their flexibility and being extended to the full extent of their host communities. Today, nearly 6 million Afghans have been driven out of their homes and their countries by conflict, violence and poverty.
A young Afghan boy smiles after being evacuated to Ramstein US Air Base in Germany.
where are afghans running
According to UNHRC data, the vast majority of Afghan refugees have never left the country, They are mostly internally displaced. “In addition to the 667,900 displaced in 2021, there were already three million internally displaced Afghans by the end of 2020,” the UNHRC report said. Afghans have the third largest displaced population in the world after Syrian refugees and displaced Venezuelans. The majority of Afghanistan’s refugees are living in Pakistan and Iran, which continue to host over 1.4 million and 780,000 registered Afghan refugees, respectively.
Role of UNHCR
UNHCR’s work in Afghanistan focuses on assisting the most vulnerable and newly displaced Afghans within Afghanistan and neighboring countries with life-saving shelter, food, water and main relief items. Together with our partners, we are committed to staying grounded and delivering our emergency response as long as we can to reach those in need.
Ukraine
As Ukraine fights for its survival, more than 6.6 million Ukrainians have fled, whose numbers continue to grow. Men between the ages of 18 and 64 need to stay in the country to help protect themselves, so the majority of refugees are women and children. Since the fighting began, individual refugees from Ukraine recorded Europe stands at 5,137,933 (UNHRC figure) while cross-border Ukraine is estimated at 7,703,857 as of 24 February 2022.
This situation represents the largest and fastest migration of people to Europe since World War II, when an estimated 11 million people were displaced from their home countries by 1945. Post-war European history is also littered with refugee movements resulting from conflicts between the Soviet Union. and West. Given that Ukraine has a population of 44 million, it is quite possible that the ongoing conflict could result in a refugee influx that surpasses World War II.
Ukrainians displaced on a train bound for Poland bid farewell in Lviv, western Ukraine, Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
Where have Ukrainians taken refuge?
Most Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland, but Hungary, Romania and Slovakia and Moldova have also received refugees. Some Ukrainians are able to transfer to third country destinations, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Ukrainians are displaced or stranded
But the UNHCR estimates that there are more than seven million Ukrainians displaced within the country, particularly those who fled the intense fighting for the western city of Lviv in eastern Ukraine, and those who fled Kyiv during the siege of the country’s capital. Were. Counting both refugees and internally displaced persons, more than a quarter of Ukraine’s population is now displaced.
War flees in Ukraine rest inside an indoor sports stadium being used as a refugee center in the village of Medica, across the border between Poland and Ukraine.
Still others are trapped and unable to leave their ravaged homes and communities, essentially meaning they have been displaced without being able to leave.
Although there have recently been reports of people returning to parts of Ukraine as Russian forces run out, the war is showing no signs of being lost, making it more than likely that both refugee flows and internal displacement will continue to grow .
(with inputs from UNHCR and AP)
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