Politics

UN expects 8.3 million refugees to flee Ukraine this year

Geneva, Apr 26 (EFE).- An estimated 8.3 million Ukrainians are projected to flee to neighboring countries this year, a mass exodus caused by the Russian invasion that will require $1.85 billion in funds to support host nations such as Poland and Hungary, United Nations humanitarian agencies said Tuesday.

Over 5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on February 24 and a further 7.7 million are internally displaced, bringing the total number of people uprooted from their homes to an estimated 12.7 million, Shabia Mantoo, a UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson said Tuesday.

“Launching an updated Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) for the Ukraine situation yesterday, UNHCR and partners are seeking US$1.85 billion to support a projected 8.3 million refugees in neighboring countries, namely Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as other countries in the region, including Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic,” she added.

“The human impact and the suffering already caused by this war are staggering,” she said.

“Families have been torn apart, houses and infrastructure have been destroyed, while the trauma of war will have a lasting impact on many of those forced to flee their homes, including women and children who represent some 90 per cent of those forced to flee.”EFE

abc/jt

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