Being forced from home fate of 60 million worldwide
The UN refugee agency shocked the world by reporting that nearly 60 million people were now refugees or internally displaced. But for those in dozens of countries, it wasn’t news. Although war is now a leading cause of relocation, other factors are forcing more people from their homes. As Olivia Ward reports, leaving is a hard choice driven by a variety of causes.
War
Syria’s bloody conflict has sent more than 11 million people fleeing, and Iraqis are running from ethnic and religious violence.
But eight wars in Africa including Central African Republic, South Sudan, Darfur and northeastern Nigeria have displaced hundreds of thousands.
Yemen is in a civil war fuelled by foreign players. Eastern Ukraine remains a battlefield and regional violence in Burma has forced thousands to leave.
Instability
A number of countries are not officially at war but are teetering on the edge of all-out conflict with parts of their territories hit by outbreaks of violence and terrorism.
These nations include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Guinea, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire and Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as a fragmented Libya.
Poverty
Extreme poverty has forced citizens to leave numerous countries, often coupled with corruption and violent crime.
Thousands of Mexicans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Hondurans and Ecuadorans risk their lives to reach the U.S. Impoverished Bolivians and Peruvians head for Chile and Brazil. Millions of Filipinos flock to wealthier countries for work.
Those from Europe’s southern and eastern flanks, including austerity-hit Greece, migrate to escape unemployment and destitution.
As Puerto Rico’s economy crashes, citizens are also fleeing.
Repression and persecution
Crackdowns by Egypt’s military-led regime have prompted many to leave. So has Iran’s persecution of suspected dissidents and members of religious minorities.
Iraqi Christian and Yazidi minorities have fled persecution, as have China’s Uighurs, Burma’s Rohingya and Roma in Eastern Europe. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have made life perilous for dissidents.
Russians have exited as Moscow represses dissent and punishes human rights advocates and LGBT people. Homosexuals in 36 African nations fear prison terms.
Environment
Drying bodies of water, devastating storms and rising sea levels are making some regions unlivable.
From Inner Mongolia to Kazakhstan, Africa’s Sahel and parched southern regions, to South Asia and even in the southern U.S., residents are finding it increasingly hard to survive, make a living or lead environmentally secure lives in prolonged drought and escalating heat.
Meanwhile , Pacific Islanders fear sinking into the sea.