Worthy Christian News > World News > A record 100 million people have been displaced worldwide

A record 100 million people have been displaced worldwide

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The world now has a record 100 million displaced people who have been forced to flee war and human rights abuses, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) stated on Sunday.

The six million refugees escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February represent just the latest mass displacement caused by spiraling violence and religious persecution around the world, including in Nigeria, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In a statement, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the staggering 100 million figure must serve as a wake-up call to resolve conflict. “One hundred million is a stark figure — sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” Grandi said. “This must serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end persecution, and address the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes”.

Acknowledging the overwhelmingly positive response to the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, Grandi said: “Compassion is alive, and we need a similar mobilization for all crises around the world.” However, Grandi emphasized: “ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure.”

“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,” Grandi stated.

100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide represents 1% of the global population and is equivalent to the 14th most populous country in the world.

The number includes refugees and asylum seekers as well as the 53.2 million people displaced inside their borders by conflict.

Grandi added. “Compassion is alive, and we need a similar mobilization for all crises around the world. But 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”.