Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Wars Trigger Record Levels of Internal Displacement in Middle East, North
Africa, Report Finds

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - A new report finds internal displacement in the Middle East
   and North Africa has reached unprecedented levels a decade after the
   so-called Arab Spring triggered a political upheaval across the region.

   Over the past decade, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center
   reports the number of internally displaced people in the region has
   more than tripled from 3.5 million to 12.4 million. During the same
   period, it says 7.8 million refugees and asylum seekers fled to other
   countries in search of safety.

   The manager of the global monitoring and reporting team at IDMC,
   Vicente Anzellini, says several factors have precipitated this high
   level of displacement. These include foreign intervention in regional
   civil conflicts; local conflicts sparked by ethnic, tribal and
   religious affiliation, instability caused by extremists and jihadist
   groups, and natural disasters.

.