Global internal displacement crisis grew in 2007 - survey
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GENEVA, 17 April 2008 – The global internal displacement crisis
continued to worsen in 2007, according to an annual survey
released today by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of
the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). In 2007, the estimated
number of people displaced within their countries by armed
conflicts and violence passed the 26 million mark, the highest
global total since the early 1990s.

Although international attention to the plight of internally
displaced people (IDPs) continued to grow, there was no
breakthrough in reducing their number or measurably improving
their situation. Displacement, in the words of UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, remained “arguably the most
significant humanitarian challenge that we face”.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said the
latest survey made sober reading and highlighted the need for
international solidarity in tackling the continuing problem of
internal displacement. “The world is currently facing a range of
new threats and challenges, from instability sparked by rising
food and fuel prices to the inability or unwillingness of some
governments to provide their own uprooted people with adequate
protection and assistance. This survey illustrates the scope of
the problem and should be a call to action for all of us in the
international community.”

IDPs in over 50 countries, and particularly the women and
children among them, were too frequently victims of the gravest
human rights abuses. They faced continuing attacks as well as
hunger, disease and the effects of inadequate shelter. “Despite
being responsible for the wellbeing of citizens within their
territory, many national governments in 2007 were still unwilling
or unable to prevent people being forced from their homes, or
provide adequate protection and assistance to those who had been
displaced,” said NRC Secretary-General Elisabeth Rasmusson.

People fled their homes in 2007 mainly to escape long-standing
internal conflicts. The numbers of IDPs rose sharply in Iraq
(where there were almost 2.5 million IDPs by the end of 2007),
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.4 million IDPs) and
Somalia (1 million), while the massive internally displaced
populations of Sudan (5.8 million) and Colombia (up to 4 million)
continued to grow.

At the same time, millions of people continued to endure
protracted situations of internal displacement with few prospects
of returning home or resettling elsewhere, even in countries
where conflict had ended and rebuilding had begun. Often they
continued to face violence in their areas of origin, for example
where the demobilisation of former combatants had not been
effectively completed.

“The challenges and obstacles to providing assistance and
protection are numerous, and we have yet to address them
coherently through diplomatic engagement, humanitarian assistance
and development programmes,” Rasmusson said. “Our knowledge of,
interest in and response to people trapped in protracted
displacement situations is far from impressive.”


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The Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre,
established by the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the leading
international body monitoring internal displacement worldwide.

The report Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and
Developments in 2007 is available at the IDMC website
http://www.internal- displacement.org

For more information contact Edmund Jennings, NRC Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre, Geneva. Tel. (41) 22 799 0718;
mobile (41) 79 8171 748.

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