Over 660,000 People Displaced Globally in 2 Months Due to Conflicts During Pandemic - NGO

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2020) Conflicts across the globe have forced more than 660,000 people across 19 countries to leave their homes in the period from March 23 - May 15, despite the United Nations' appeal for a global ceasefire amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Friday.

"Armed conflict forced more than 660,000 people around the world to flee their homes between March 23 and May 15, leaving people more exposed to Covid-19, and is preventing global efforts to control the pandemic," the organization said in a press release.

According to the NGO, conflicts across the world have continued even in the countries that expressed support for the United Nation's appeal, such as Yemen. Of those internally displaced since March, the highest number was recorded in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo � more than 480,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

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"The NRC appeals to UNSC [the UN Security Council] members to issue a clear call to warring parties to halt the conduct of hostilities and to settle their conflicts through talks and allow for a systematic response to the pandemic," the NGO added.

In late March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire to focus together on fighting COVID-19. Following his appeal, France and Tunisia prepared in April a document urging for increased international coordination and an immediate halt to hostilities across the world amid the COVID-19 crisis. While a total of 114 governments supported the document and wanted a relevant resolution to be adopted at the UN Security Council, the body was still unable to proceed to a vote due to disagreements regarding the document's content.