Refugees to reach 1 mln by June: UN

TOKYO - Agence France-Presse

April 2012, the UNHCR recognized a total of 33,000 Syrian refugees. REUTERS photo

The number of people fleeing fighting in Syria could reach 1.1 million by June, the United Nations said Feb. 6, as it warned of crisis “fatigue” among developed nations.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) Antonio Guterres said the international community needed to support a $1 billion plan, pushed by his and other international groups, to address the needs of those displaced by the Syrian conflict.

The humanitarian situation in Syria is “the most dramatic crisis we are facing today,” he said, adding developed nations, including those in Europe, needed to accept more refugees, as Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon have done.