Syrians are set to become the world’s largest refugee population, a United Nations official has warned.
In his remarks on the years-long crisis to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres stated that “as the world continues to watch Syria disintegrate in bloodshed,” the country’s refugee population is on track to exceed 4 million by the end of this year.
Afghans are now the biggest refugee population worldwide, he said.
“It breaks my heart to see this nation that for decades welcomed refugees from other countries, ripped apart and forced into exile itself,” Guterres said.
The UN estimates that the conflict has currently left 6.5 million Syrians internally displaced and forced almost 2.5 million to seek shelter in other countries.
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