Worldwide, more than 100 million people are displaced due conflicts, violence and human rights violations for the first time on record. This was announced by the UN refugee organisation UNHCR on Monday (23 May).
By the end of last year, this figure had already reached 90 million people. The war in Ukraine and flare-ups of violence in countries like Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Congo have caused the number to rise even further. New waves of violence and conflict have recently brought the figure to a "bizarre milestone", according to the UN.
The total number of people fleeing has been boosted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The war has caused some eight million Ukrainians to be displaced. According to the UN, at least six million refugees have left the country.
