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02:39 GMT, Friday, 20 June 2008 03:39 UK

UN warning on World Refugee Day

Mother with her children in a camp for displaced people in Kinyandonyi, DR Congo

The reasons why people flee their homes are becoming increasingly complex and interlinked, the UN has warned as it marks World Refugee Day.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says there are about 11m refugees worldwide and 26m internally displaced people.

It says that nowadays people do not just flee persecution and war.

Other reasons include injustice, exclusion, competition for scarce resources and the human consequences of dysfunctional states, it says.

Earlier this week, the UNHCR said in a report that the number of refugees worldwide had increased to 11.4 million at the end of 2007.

It said that volatile situation in Afghanistan and Iraq were behind much of the rise.

It was the second year in succession the number had gone up, after five years of falling, the agency said.



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Related to this story:
Global refugee total rises again (17 Jun 08 |  Americas )
In pictures: Refugee crisis (12 Jun 08 |  In Pictures )
SA denies planning refugee camps (28 May 08 |  Africa )
UN warns migrants of Yemen risks (20 Dec 07 |  Africa )
DR Congo refugees flee to Uganda (22 Oct 07 |  Africa )
Syria visas 'halt fleeing Iraqis' (11 Sep 07 |  Middle East )
Sharp rise in Iraqis fleeing home (29 Aug 07 |  Middle East )

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