The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the displacement of more than 100 million persons from the war in Ukraine and violent conflicts in Nigeria and other parts of the world call for more action.

“The number of people forced to flee conflicts and human rights violations, propelled by war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts, crossed a milestone of 100 million for the first time on record,” UN official, Filippo Grandi, said.

He quoted new data by UNHCR that the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide rose to 90 million by the end of 2021.

He said that the development was “propelled by new waves of violence or protracted conflicts in countries like Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Mr Grandi said the alarming figure should serve as a wake-up call to effectively tackle all forced displacement causes to promote peace and ensure global development.

“One hundred million is a stark figure; sobering and alarming in equal measure: it is a record that should never have been set,” Mr Grandi said.

He said the Russian invasion of Ukraine had displaced no less than eight million in 2022, and over six million refugee movements have been registered.

“The international response to people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive; compassion is alive, and we need a similar mobilisation for all crises around the world,” Mr Grandi added. “Ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure. To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability, so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight and exile,” 

He further said that UNHCR would release its annual Global Trends Report on June 16 and outline a complete set of global, regional and national data on forced displacement for 2021.

Mr Grandi, however, promised that there would be updates to April 2022 and details on returns and solutions. 

(NAN)