Colombia tops in internally displaced says U.N.

Which country has the largest amount of displaced people according to U.N.?

It’s not war-torn Iraq.

It’s not the conflict-ridden Sudan.

It’s not the divided Pakistan.

Guess again:

With three million people displaced throughout the nation, Colombia continues to have one the largest displaced populations in the world, according to an annual report released by the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

The 'Global Trends 2008' report said that Colombia has one of the highest incidences of internal displacement in the world, along with Iraq (2.6 million), the Congo (1.5 million) and Somalia (1.3 million). Globally there were 26 million people [internally] displaced in 2008.

Despite some improvements in Colombian security, the armed conflict has certainly not gne away quitely. The report pointed out that "longer-term internal displacement" continues and will keep being a problem in the Latin American country. In terms of total displaced people Colombia is outnumbered by Thailand and Iraq, yet there are nearly 400,000 Colombians forced out of their country and mostly living in neighboring states like Ecuador and Venezuela.

According to the UNDCR there are over 42 million displaced people worldwide and this number is expected to grow due to increase conflicts. The report also pointed out that the clampdown in immigration by some industrialized countries has made it more difficult for refugees to seek asylum.

(Hat tip: Foreign Policy Passport).

Image- CNN (“Displaced children at a camp in El Barrancon, Colombia, earlier this year.”)
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, BBC News, Xinhua, Foreign Policy Passport, Colombia Reports