The number of Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Lebanon has surpassed one million, reports AFP.
According to the U.N. refugee agency, Syrian refugees currently make up a quarter of Lebanon’s resident population and live mostly in poverty.
The figure is “a devastating milestone worsened by rapidly depleting resources and a host community stretched to breaking point,” the UNHCR said.
According to this new report, Lebanon now has “the highest per capita concentration of refugees worldwide.”
“The influx of a million refugees would be massive in any country. For Lebanon, a small nation beset by internal difficulties, the impact is staggering. The Lebanese people have shown striking generosity, but are struggling to cope. Lebanon hosts the highest concentration of refugees in recent history,” said UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres.
The brutal Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, has forced many Syrians to flee their country and has killed over 150,000 people.
