Number of Syrian refugees passes 5 million: UN

Syrian refugees are pictured at Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp, which shelters some 80,000 people, on March 28, 2017. Thomas Coex / AFP

Beirut // More than five million Syrians are now refugees, the United Nations said on Thursday, as aid groups urged the international community to end the country’s six-year war and provide more assistance.

The new figure means about a quarter of Syria’s population has fled since the conflict began in March 2011, while a similar number of people have been forced to flee their homes but have not left the country. More than 320,000 people have been killed.

“As the number of men, women and children fleeing six years of war in Syria passes the five million mark, the international community needs to do more to help them,” the UN refugee agency said.

Non-government organisations have regularly sounded the alarm about the crisis, appealing for more funds and international action to end the war.

“It’s clear that the international community has completely failed to end the conflict in Syria,” said Alun McDonald, regional spokesman for Save the Children.

“The situation inside the country is still not remotely safe for people to go home, we see more people being uprooted every day.”

He said much of the international community was also failing refugees, increasingly closing borders and turning them away.

Most Syrian refugees are hosted regionally, by neighbours Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, with more in Iraq and Egypt.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have also fled to Europe, often risking exploitation by smugglers and even death on arduous journeys by land and sea.

Smaller numbers have been resettled officially in Europe, Canada and the United States, though US president Donald Trump’s administration has sought to temporarily halt all Syrian refugee entries.

In a joint statement with Syrian organisations, charity Oxfam on Thursday urged more support for host countries.

“Oxfam calls on rich countries to show their support for Syria’s neighbours that have welcomed these refugees and to resettle at least the most vulnerable 10 per cent most of Syrian refugees by the end of 2017,” said Winnie Byanyima, the charity’s international executive director.

“It’s a protracted crisis and the funding is not catching up with the needs,” said Oxfam spokeswoman Joelle Bassoul.

“With fewer resources we now have to help more people.”

Aid groups and the UN have also regularly warned about the long-term impact of the crisis, particularly on children.

“A million Syrian refugee children are out of school and missing out on education, and they are the ones who will have to contribute to rebuilding Syria for the next generation,” said Mr McDonald.

Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, with more than 2.9 million registered there, according to the UN. About 657,000 Syrian refugees are registered with the UN in Jordan, but the government says the true figure is 1.3 million.

The situation is more complicated in Lebanon, where the government refused to allow the establishment of formal camps.

The UN says around one million Syrians are in the country, though the government says the figure is higher, with many living in dismal conditions in informal camps.

Lebanon has just four million citizens and was already struggling with limited resources, unemployment and overstretched infrastructure before the refugee influx.

* Agence France-Presse