Syrians Fleeing to Neighboring Countries Amount to Monthly Record High
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SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — More than 100,000 Syrians fled their country in August — the highest number of refugees in one month, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Last month, displaced Syrians made up over 40 percent of the more than 200,000 refugees registered with the U.N. since the conflict started 17 months ago.
Violence in Syria has ramped up recently as President Bashar al Assad’s forces have carried out air assaults, cracking down even harder on anti-government groups. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday, according to the New York Times, that the fighting in Syria had taken “a particularly brutal turn” in August and urged world leaders to increase humanitarian efforts to help civilians trying to escape the violence.
Additionally, the U.N. reported that another 1.2 million are displaced domestically, and only half of the $180 million requested to help the displaced citizens of Syria has been raised, according to the Times.
Mr. Ban said individuals, on both sides, responsible for human rights violations will be held accountable.
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