UN: 5 000 fleeing Syria every day
2013-02-08 14:54
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Syria
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Geneva - The number of Syrians fleeing their conflict-torn
homeland has hit 5 000 a day, while overall numbers have risen by 25% in the
past month alone, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.
"Five thousand people are now crossing the border of
Syria every single day," said Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees.
"We now have 787 000 refugees who are registered or
are pending registration," he told reporters in Geneva, noting that the
figures were still climbing.
The largest number has fled to Lebanon, which is hosting
almost 261 000 Syrians, followed by Jordan, with close to 243 000.
About 177 000
Syrians have fled to Turkey, and around 85 000 to Iraq.
In countries without a direct border with Syria, Egypt is
the top destination, with 15 000, while another 6 300 are scattered across
other North African nations.
Edwards said that overall, the refugee numbers had risen
by a quarter in January, with an increase of 150 000 on the 600 000 recorded at
the end of December.
The UN estimates that more than 60 000 people have been
killed since the revolt against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March
2011.
