UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis said 60,000 Iraqis continue to flee their homes every month, with 2.2 million people now uprooted within Iraq and 2.2 million in neighbouring countries. Syria is host to more than 1.4 million Iraqis.
On Monday, the agency said that Syria had reimposed rules barring entry to Iraqi refugees. Pagonis said it would mean that they “lose their only remaining safe haven”, but the agency was discussing the issue with authorities in Damascus and had not received any formal notification.
“The Iraqis in Syria now constitute about 10 per cent of the total population and put an enormous strain on the country,” she told a news briefing in announcing the $ 10m donation. She said it was “unusual” for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to receive a donation of that size for a single programme, and it was the largest gift from the UAE in 10 years.
