WASHINGTON - "More people have fled their homes in Syria than fled the genocide and its aftermath in Rwanda or the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia," said Anne C. Richard, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration in a testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
WASHINGTON – “More people have fled their homes in Syria than fled the genocide and its aftermath in Rwanda or the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia,” said Anne C. Richard, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration in a testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
Speaking at the Subcommittee Hearing: Examining the Syrian Refugee Crisis, Richard stated that the crisis has grown quickly, forcing people to flee at an accelerating pace so that the number of refugees increased from 230,000 at the beginning of September last year to more than two million refugees today. “They have poured across Syria’s borders into neighboring countries and even further afield and another four-to-five million are displaced inside Syria,” Richard said.
“Neighboring countries that have allowed the refugees to cross into their territory and escape the violence deserve our thanks. Turkey has built 20 camps for just over 200,000 refugees, and even more Syrians live in Turkish cities. Informally, some referred to the camps as “five-star” because they offered a high level of comfort in contrast to most refugee camps around the world, but the passage of time has worn down the infrastructure of the camps and frayed the nerves of camp refugees. We are grateful that Turkey has plans to build three additional camps for contingencies and is also starting to register Syrians in urban areas and providing them access to free medical care”.
“Turkey also continues to provide humanitarian assistance, including medical assistance, food, and shelter, to internally displaced persons waiting in Syria to cross the border into Turkey,” Richard continued.
