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July 17, 2013

U.N.: Syria's Refugee Flight Worst Since Rwandan Genocide 
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The United Nations continues to warn the conflict in Syria is fueling
the worst refugee crisis since the Rwanda genocide. On Tuesday, the U.N.
High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said most of Syria's
1.8 million refugees have fled since the beginning of the year.

Antonio Guterres: "There are now nearly 1.8 million Syrian refugees
known to UNHRC in the region. Two-thirds of them have fled Syria since
the beginning of this year, an average of over 6,000 people a day. We
have not seen a refugee outflow escalate at such a frightening rate
since the Rwandan genocide almost 20 years ago. This crisis has been
going on for much longer than anyone had feared with unbearable
humanitarian consequences."

The official U.N. death toll for Syria's more than two-year conflict is
near 93,000.

 

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