Humanitarian Update: Regional Office for the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, December 2009

General overview

6.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs)(1) and eight million refugees(2) hosted by countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia (MENACA) region. Population were uprooted as a result of political instability and violence. Although some returns have been recorded over the past year, these were either limited or unsustainable, owing to the still fragile security context in the areas of origin. According to UNHCR Iraq October 2009 Monthly Statistical Update, some 180,000 Iraqis have returned home from either internal displacement or refuge abroad during 2009; this is from an overall estimate of 2.8 million IDPs in Iraq and well over 1.5 million refugees. In Pakistan, during the past four months, at least 500,000 persons were newly displaced due to fighting in Khyber and Orakzay Agencies, at a time when relief organizations have been striving to assist some 1.66 million returnees. In Yemen, fighting between the Government and the Houthi group forced over 176,000 persons from their homes, many of whom have been displaced several times. Political and security trends within the region suggest that the situation is unlikely to stabilize anytime soon. Political and social unrest increase at a spinning speed in Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.