2022 Year in Review: Some 100 million displaced, ‘a record that should never have been set’
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Some 100 million people were forced to leave their homes in 2022, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.
It said the UN continued to help those in need in a myriad of ways, and push for more legal, and safe ways for people to migrate.
The 100 million figure, which includes those fleeing conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution, was announced by the UN refugee agency in May and described by Filippo Grandi, the head of the agency, as “a record that should never have been set”.
The figure is up from some 90 million in 2021. Outbreaks of violence, or protracted conflicts, were key migration factors in many parts of the world, including Ukraine, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Syria, and Myanmar.
UNHCR said thousands of desperate migrants looked to Europe as a preferred destination, putting their lives in the hands of human traffickers, and setting off on perilous journeys across the Mediterranean.
All too often these journeys ended in tragedy.
In Ethiopia, millions remain displaced due to the armed conflict in the Tigray region, which began on 3 November 2020 between Ethiopian national forces, Eritrean troops, Amhara forces and other militias on one side, and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
By the end of this year, a fragile internationally-brokered truce seemed to be holding with aid returning to embattled northern regions inaccessible for months, along with many returning home to rebuild their shattered lives.
Back in January, the UN refugee agency issued the stark warning that, due to deteriorating conditions, refugees in the region were struggling to get enough food, medicine, and clean water, and risked death unless the situation improved.
“The desperate situation in these camps is a stark example of the impact of the lack of access and supplies affecting millions of displaced persons and other civilians throughout the region,” said UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov.
Refugees also found themselves under direct attack: in February, for example, thousands of Eritreans were forced to flee a camp in the Afar region, after armed men stormed in, stealing belongings and killing residents.
By August, UN agencies put out an urgent appeal for funding to help more than 750,000 people seeking refuge in Ethiopia. The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that unless it received the funding, many refugees would have nothing to eat.
The number of people who died or went missing trying to reach Europe by boat doubled between 2022 and 2021, to more than 3,000. This grim statistic was released by the UNHCR in April.
“Most of the sea crossings took place in packed, unseaworthy, inflatable boats – many of which capsized or were deflated leading to loss of life,” UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told journalists at a regular press briefing in Geneva.
This did not deter many from putting themselves at considerable risk, by trying a sea crossing. In just one attempt, in March, at least 70 migrants were reported dead or missing off the coast of Libya, the departure point for many crossings.
In August, when a boat sank off the Greek island of Karpathos in August, there weren dozens of re[rted deaths, and in September, more than 70 bodies were recovered following a shipwreck off the coast of Syria.
Amid the tragedy and difficulties faced by so many, there was at least one ray of light, reported in December.
UNHCR declared that governments around the world had pledged some $1.13 billion, a record amount, to provide a lifeline to people displaced by war, violence, and human rights violations.
“As a result of conflict, the climate emergency, and other crises, displaced people around the world face unprecedented needs,” said Mr. Grandi. “Fortunately, UNHCR’s generous donors continue to support them during these dire days, creating hope for a brighter future.”
-0- PANA MA 26Dec2022
