‘Syria crisis could see at least 6M more displacements’

ANKARA

At least 6 million more displacements can occur in Syria if the crisis continues for another decade, an independent humanitarian group said Monday.

“The Syria crisis could see at least 6 million more displacements over yet another decade if the conflict, insecurity, and economic deterioration continue unabated,” Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said in a statement announcing a new report on the issue.

“Ten years since the start of the biggest displacement crisis since World War 2, analysis by NRC shows that on average, an estimated 2.4 million displacements occurred in and outside Syria every year since the start of the conflict,” said the statement.

Some 467,000 people have returned home in Syria in the past year while 1.8 million people were newly displaced, meaning for every person who returned home nearly four more people were displaced, according to NRC.

Displaced Syrians around the region have lost hope for returning home and “were more concerned about how they will put food on the table for their families, pay the rent, or take care of medical expenses than envisioning a future back home.”

"The longer this crisis is left unsolved, the more we expect economic destitution to become the prominent push factor for further displacement," NRC Secretary-General Jan Egeland said.

"And yet, we know that more countries with influence are turning their back on Syria. They need to step out of their complacency and constructively step in to support the millions of Syrians who depend on vital aid and are clamouring for an end to the conflict.”

Syria has been embroiled in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Turkey hosts some 3.6 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.