The United Nations announced on Wednesday that the number of refugees and displaced persons in the world who were forced to flee their homes has reached 110 million, in a record number.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said that the number of forcibly displaced people around the world has jumped to a record level of 110 million people, and that the situation in Ukraine and Sudan is forcing millions to flee their homes.

The UNHCR said in a report issued today, Wednesday, that the increase in the number by about 19 million to 108.4 million at the end of last year represents the largest annual jump ever.

Grandi told reporters that number has since increased to 110 million, mainly due to the eight-week conflict in Sudan.

Announcing such numbers is a "condemnation" to the world, he said at a press conference in Geneva, and "it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine solutions, let alone put them on the table. We are in a very polarized world, where international tensions are the driver of humanitarian issues."

The forced displacement report showed that over the two decades preceding the Syrian conflict that broke out in 2011, the global level was nearly stable at about 40 million refugees and internally displaced persons, but the level has been witnessing an annual increase since then, and has now more than doubled. The report indicated that more than one person out of every 74 is currently displaced.

Grandi attributed the crisis to the "usual package of causes", which he said included conflict, persecution, discrimination, violence and climate change.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency