Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey exceeds 900 000

Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey exceeds 900 000

PanARMENIAN.Net - The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has passed 900 000, the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Fuat Oktay, the head of the agency, said that “everything is fine with regard to the refugee camps, but the agency is focusing on meeting the needs of refugees living outside of the camps and minimizing their problems.” In order to do so, they are coordinating with civil society organizations. The number of refugees living inside the camps is 224 000, according to him.

Oktay said most of the refugees who fled the civil war have been living in border provinces.

“International assistance has totaled $200 million and so far the agency has spent $2.5 billion,” he said, calling on the international community to share the burden.

“These people have basic needs such as education, health, nutrition and shelter, but it is not sustainable for Turkey to handle by itself. I am calling on the international community to help us in aiding these people,” Oktay said.

The United Nation's refugee agency (UNHCR) said in March that Syria now leads the world in forced displacement, with more than 9 million people uprootedas a result of the conflict.

The total number of displaced people is comprised of over 2.5 million refugees who are living in neighboring countries and 6.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Syria, according to the UNHCR. The number of people uprooted — half of which are children — equals 40 percent of the country’s pre-war population.

In crossing the 9 million mark, experts believe that Syria has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s leader in forcibly displaced persons.

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