FILE - Newly arrived Syrian refugees wait for their turn to receive a mattress, blankets and other supplies, and to be assigned to tents, at the Zaatari Syrian refugees camp in Mafraq, near the Syrian border with Jordan, in this Jan. 28, 2013 file photo. In a statement released Wednesday in Geneva, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, says the number of Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance has now reached the one million mark. Their presence is severely straining the resources of host countries and the entire international donor community. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)
March 05, 2013 - 11:13 PM
BERLIN - The United Nations refugee agency says the number of Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance has now reached the one million mark.
In a statement released Wednesday in Geneva, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, says the figure is based on reports from his agency's field offices in neighbouring countries that have provided refuge for Syrians escaping the civil war. With millions more displaced but still inside Syria, Guterres warns the country is "spiraling towards full-scale disaster."
He says the number of refugees has swelled dramatically since the first of the year, with most Syrians pouring into Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. Their presence is severely straining the resources of host countries and the entire international donor community.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013