Afghans are top asylum seekers in the West: UN
By DPA, IANSTuesday, March 23, 2010
GENEVA - The number of Afghans seeking asylum in industrialised countries nearly doubled last year and the group became the largest seeking protection, the United Nations said Tuesday.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 26,800 Afghans applied last year for asylum in industrialised countries, a 45 percent increase over 2008, pushing them to the top of the list. They were followed by Iraqis and Somalis.
All three countries are experiencing ongoing conflicts with heavy civilian tolls.
Other main countries of origin were Russia, China, Nigeria and Serbia.
UNHCR noted that the overall number of asylum seekers in the industrialised world was stable in 2009, with some 377,000 applicants.
“Despite what some populists claim, our data shows that the numbers have remained stable,” Antonio Guterres, head of UNHCR, said in a statement.
The Nordic region of Europe saw a 13 percent increase in 2009, and Germany’s total jumped 25 percent, but the southern part of the continent experienced large declines. Italy registered 42 percent fewer asylum claims than the previous year.
Top receiving countries include the US, France, Canada and Britain.
Most refugees fleeing conflicts, the UN said, do not claim asylum in the West, but remain either in the country of origin or in neighbouring lands, awaiting return to their homes.
