An annual report published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reveals that conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have pushed the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) to an all-time high of 75.9 million by the end of 2023.
This number represents a 50% increase in five years, according to the non-governmental organization, which had put the total at 71.1 million by the end of 2022.
According to this partner of the UN Migration Agency (IOM), nearly 47 million new internal displacements, or movements, were recorded in the same year, underlining the urgent need to protect the internally displaced and prevent future displacements.
Sudan: largest number of displaced people in a single country
“As the planet grapples with conflict and disaster, the staggering number of displaced people tells a heartbreaking story,” said IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels in a statement.
Violence and conflict are the main causes of forced displacement (68.3 million), while disasters have forced 7.7 million people to flee and settle elsewhere.
With 9.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), Sudan has the highest number of IDPs ever recorded in a single country since 2008 and the start of accounting, the Observatory points out. This is followed by the situation in the Gaza Strip, which accounted for 17% (3.4 million) in the last three months of 2023.
Overall, the number of people displaced by violence and conflict has jumped by 22.6 million over the past five years.
Disaster-related displacement
Natural disasters continue to displace millions of people every year. In 2023, disasters such as Cyclone Freddy in southeast Africa, earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and Cyclone Mocha in the Indian Ocean caused 26.4 million displacements.
This represents 56% of all new internal displacements. Remarkably, disaster-induced displacement increased in high-income countries such as Canada, where an unprecedented forest fire season resulted in 185,000 internal displacements.
Against this backdrop, the Observatory expects the number of people displaced by disasters to rise in the coming years, pointing out that “the frequency, duration and intensity of natural hazards are worsening in the context of climate change.”
“This report is a stark reminder of the urgent and coordinated need to develop disaster risk reduction, support peacebuilding, ensure the protection of human rights and, wherever possible, prevent displacement before it occurs,” concluded Ugochi Daniels.
