More than 5-million refugees have fled Syria, UN warns
UNHCR says it is an ‘important milestone’ in the international community’s failure
Beirut — More than 5-million Syrians are now refugees, the UN said Thursday, as aid groups urged the international community to end the country’s six-year war and provide more assistance. The new figures mean about a quarter of Syria’s population has fled since the March 2011 start of a conflict that has killed more than 320,000 people. The UN refugee agency UNHCR urged more international assistance, with spokeswoman Cecile Pouilly calling the figure an "important milestone". "As the number of men, women and children fleeing six years of war in Syria passes the 5-million mark, the international community needs to do more to help them," UNHCR said in a statement. NGOs helping Syrian refugees have regularly sounded the alarm about the crisis, appealing for more funds and international action to end Syria’s war. "It’s clear that the international community has completely failed to end the conflict in Syria," said Alun McDonald, regional spokesman for Save the Children. "The situation i...
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