By the end of 2023, conflicts had compelled more than 68 million individuals to abandon their residences, marking the highest figure since records began 15 years prior. Additionally, natural disasters resulted in a further 7.7 million people becoming homeless, totalling the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to an unprecedented 75.9 million, this was revealed by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
This surge in displacements is a consequence of emerging wars and prolonged conflicts which have made it unfeasible for citizens to return to their homes. Christelle Cazabat, the programme leader at the centre, associated with the Norwegian Refugee Council, commented that not only are there newly ignited crises causing new displacements but also, significantly, individuals who have been displaced for many years, are unable to re-establish their lives in the manner that existed before their dislocation.
Interestingly, there are differences between IDPs and displacements. For instance, in Gaza, the recorded displacements reached 3.4 million, resulting in 1.7 million persons being internally displaced by the end of the previous year due to recurrent forced movements.
In the sub-Saharan Africa region, figures for IDPs increased twofold, rising from 16.5 million in 2018 to 34.8 million in 2023. The region saw 19.5 million displacements, with Sudan accounting for 45 per cent of the total, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recording the second most. Together, they made up nearly half of the globe’s displacements the preceding year.
Conflict-related displacement in the region was predominantly in Sudan. The violence initiated in the previous April triggered 6 million fresh displacements in 2023, marking the second-largest number since Ukraine in 2022, and raised Sudan’s total number of IDPs to 9.1 million.
The DRC also experienced an upsurge with 6.7 million IDPs, following a revival of the rebellion by M23 insurgents the previous year.
The statistics reveal that despite a decade since the conflict onset and a reduced intensity in violence, 7.2 million individuals in Syria remain displaced within their own country. A higher number of 7.6 million were observed to be displaced in 2014. In Yemen, a truce largely held since April 2022 has failed to reduce the number of internally displaced individuals, stabilising at 4.5 million for the year. Iraq has also witnessed consistent displacement figures, with about 1.1 million people displaced for the past three years.
The centre stressed the necessity for increased support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in order to aid them in returning home or assimilating into the communities where they are currently displaced. Ms Cazabat expressed that internal displacement is often mistakenly regarded as a transient state, dealt with through immediate aid, while long-term support and solutions are required.
She refuted the notion that displaced individuals would return home after a short period and resume their lives from where they paused, declaring, “It requires years to reconstruct the homes that have been razed to the ground.”
The Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Mr Jan Egeland, observed, “Conflict and violence are causing countless families to experience devastation. The highest ever recorded number of people being forced to abandon their homes and communities underlines the failure of conflict prevention and peace-making initiatives.” He also highlighted that the fallout and displacement outlast the news cycle and often lead to silence and disregard. He further stated that the lack of safeguarding and aid endured by millions can’t persist.