UN says one in eight Iraqis flee their homes

Sun Mar 4, 8:19 AM ET

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said on Sunday that one in eight Iraqis had been forced from their homes because of the bloodshed raging across the country, and warned that the numbers will only rise.

"At the current rate of 40,000 to 50,000 a month, up to 2.3 million might be permanently displaced (inside Iraq) by the end of this year," Antonio Guterres told the Arab League in Cairo.

Already two million have fled Iraq altogether, he said, while another 1.8 million are already displaced inside the country, which has an estimated population of around 27 million.

"The biggest displacement in the Middle East since the dramatic events of 1948 has now forced one in eight Iraqis from their homes," he added, referring to creation of the state of Israel that triggered a massive Palestinian exodus.

"Last year alone, we estimate that nearly 500,000 Iraqis moved to other areas inside the country," he added.

The United Nations is holding a conference on the refugee situation in Geneva on April 17-18 in an effort to raise more money as well convince countries across the globe to help in addressing the crisis.

"The aim is to sensitise the international community to the humanitarian dimension of the situation and to seek commitments to address this enormous and growing problem," he said.

Guterres singled out Arab states for needing to become more involved in the international debate over refugee policy, noting that the majority of refugees worldwide are Muslim.

"I feel compelled to issue an appeal... to the Muslim world and in particular to the Arab world to play a greater role in the discussion, formulation and implementation of international refugee policy."

The UNHCR said in January that it would need 60 million dollars to help Iraqi refugees and displaced people this year, more than double what was spent in 2006.

The United Nations estimates that there are one million Iraqi refugees in Syria, 750,000 in Jordan, and another 150,000 living in Egypt.

Washington said on Thursday that in the coming weeks it will send a high-ranking official to Syria for the first time in two years as part of a tour dealing with the Iraqi refugee crisis.