BICOM

The UN’s refugee agency yesterday reported a dramatic increase in the number of people fleeing the violence in Syria, after more than 100,000 people sought asylum in neighbouring countries during August. This brings the total number of Syrian refugees registered or awaiting registration to more than 235,300.

The UNHCR’s chief spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, noted that the exit of 103,416 Syrians last month was, ‘a significant escalation in refugee movement and people seeking asylum, and probably points to a very precarious and violent situation inside the country.’

In Parliament yesterday, Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the wider international community had to ‘step-up’ and contribute to humanitarian efforts, as funds are substantially shorter that what is required.

In Jordan, where there are already more than 77,000 refugees, Syrians continue to arrive at a rate of about 1,000 a day. The Jordanian government and relief agencies are making preparations for as many as 150,000 people. In Turkey, there are already more than 80,000 refugees, the UNHCR says preparations are being made to handle at least 150,000 refugees. And in Lebanon, there are more than 59,000 displaced Syrians who are registered or are awaiting registration.

As Israel and Syria have been bitter enemies for decades, very few Syrians have attempted to flee across the Golan into Israel.  Nevertheless, Israel has concerns that the outflow of refugees from Syria to other neighbouring countries could further destabilise the region. In recent months Israeli officials have increasingly called for international intervention to help the rebels and speed up the pace of transition.