NRC: Expect six million more human displacements in Syria

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Monday that at least six million more people are likely to be displaced because of the ongoing Syrian crisis, which will enter its tenth year on March 15 2021. 

The NRC is currently working in more than 30 countries, helping war-affected refugees with regards to housing and other basic needs. According to the humanitarian organisation, the war in Syria has caused the biggest human supplanting since World War II. 

Only 467,000 Syrians returned home in 2020, while 1.8 million were newly displaced within Syria. This means that for every person who managed to go back, nearly four more were displaced.

Calling the process as ‘a decade of shame for humanity’, NRC’s Secretary-General, Jan Egeland said: "The callous indifference towards the millions of Syrian children, mothers, and fathers bereft of their homes and their lives is a damning indictment of the parties to this cruel war, their sponsors and the entire international community. Unless urgent action is taken to reverse this stalemate, the next decade will continue to bring suffering and displace several million more."

The report also highlighted that an overwhelming majority of Syrians see no hope of a return home in the next five to 10 years, although many living in different parts of the Middle East have expressed their desire to do just this.

A small majority of supplanted Syrians, according to the NRC report, would only go home if there was a political settlement to the Syrian crisis and their safety was guaranteed.

A majority of Syrians shared similar concerns, including worrying about their access to food, the payment of rent, medical expenses and the general lack of economic opportunities in Syria. 

Within the borders of the war-torn country, there are more than 6.5 million people who are displaced. At least 70 percent of them have now been in this situation for over five years, with 25 percent having been displaced at least four times. 

Main drivers of the displacement of Syrians

Apart from the conflict, the NRC's detailed assessments have revealed that the economic deterioration has led to the internal displacement of tens of thousands of Syrians every year. 

Out of 23,100 recently displaced Syrians in January, the report added, more than 30 percent have left their homes behind because of a lack of access to basic services such as clean drinking water and basic healthcare.

While the Syrian crisis continues to cause large-scale displacements, international aid to Syria is likely to shrink further. 

"The longer this crisis is left unsolved, the more we expect economic destitution to become the prominent push factor for further displacement," Egeland said. 

"And yet, we know that more countries with influence are turning their back on Syria. They need to step out of their complacency and constructively step in to support the millions of Syrians who depend on vital aid and are clamouring for an end to the conflict,” he added.

The Norwegian Refugee Council also stated that the existence of more than 5.5 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries would convert into a protracted displacement as there is currently little prospect of them being able to return to Syria in the foreseeable future, or fully integrate where they are currently based.

Since more than a million Syrian children have been born in foreign countries, their future is full of uncertainty. 

In the meantime, the report also said that the option of third-country settlement has become increasingly difficult over the years. 

“Last year saw the lowest number of Syrian refugees resettled since the start of the crisis,” the report added.