Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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June 17, 2008

UN Report: Refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan Make Up Half the World's Total 
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1CBBA63:A6F02AD83191E1607F000926B21F1DA798CBE7246176B735&
 
Refugee agency says conflicts in both countries behind rise in number of
refugees worldwide for second year in row 
An Afghan girl carries her infant sibling in Iran's Sistan Baluchistan
province The U.N. refugee agency says the conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan are behind a rise in the number of refugees worldwide for
the second year in a row.A report released Tuesday says refugees from
Iraq and Afghanistan made up nearly half of the 11.4 million refugees
under the agency's care in the past year, followed by Colombians,
Sudanese and Somalis. The agency differentiates between refugees, who
flee to other countries, and internally displaced people, who stay
within their country's borders.The agency says Colombia had the most
internally displaced people, estimated at nearly three million. Iraq had
the second-highest number, with about 2.4 million.The agency says the
worldwide refugee total had fallen for five years straight before
increasing in 2006 and again last year.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.


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