Middle East

The Number Of Syrian Refugees Passes 5 Million

With the war in Syria in its sixth year, there are about 200,000 more Syrian refugees than there were 12 months ago.

The Number Of Syrian Refugees Passes 5 Million
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SMS

There are now more than 5 million Syrian refugees displaced around the world. 

With the war in Syria in its sixth year, there are about 200,000 more Syrian refugees than there were 12 months ago. 

The majority of them have fled to neighboring countries — Turkey has almost 3 million Syrian refugees, and Lebanon holds just over 1 million. 

A year ago, the U.N. asked countries that weren't bordering Syria to step up their refugee acceptance.

The goal is to find places for 500,000 refugees to resettle. So far, half of that goal has been reached.

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But pushback from far away countries, like the U.S., has impacted neighboring ones.

After President Donald Trump announced his now-blocked executive order freezing the refugee program, Lebanon's president pushed for refugees in his country to be sent back to Syria. 

Beyond the 5 million Syrian refugees that have fled the country, there are millions of others who are displaced within its borders