The growing number of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war into Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey as the humanitarian situation worsens, is putting increasing pressure on aid agencies trying to provide assistance.
More than 300,000 refugees have already fled during the 18-month conflict, and that number could grow to 710,000 by the end of this year, UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, says.
The number of registered Syrian refugees and those awaiting registration in Lebanon is now more than 80,800 and is expected to grow to 120,000 by the end of 2012, UNHCR reports.
Inside Syria, 1.2 million people have been displaced, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports.
As numbers increase and winter draws nearer, the need to improve access to food, shelter and medical assistance in Syria and refugee camps in surrounding countries is becoming more acute, said Fabio Forgione, head of mission for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Lebanon. The medical charity is also known as Doctors Without Borders.
