Displaced by war reach of 40.8 million record

Only in 2015, more than 8 million people were forced to leave their homes due to conflicts around the world, study finds. In Brazil, natural disasters and Olympic Games affect thousands.

                           
                                 Displaced in Yemen, one of the most affected countries

The number of internally displaced due to conflicts in the world has increased to 40.8 million people last year, shows a report released on Wednesday (11/05) by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), based in Geneva .

"This is the highest number ever recorded and represents double the number of refugees around the world," said Jan Egeland, head of the Refugee Council of Norway, an author of the study.

In 2015, conflicts have forced 8.6 million people from their homes, mostly in the Middle East, in countries such as Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and North Africa. The study points out that the Arab Spring and the rise of the group "Islamic State" (EI) contributed significantly to the current index.

Other countries with high displacement levels are Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Ukraine.

Natural disasters have also made 19.2 million displaced last year, mainly in India, China and Nepal. The report estimates that in 2015, 59,000 people had to leave their homes in Brazil because of damage caused by natural disasters.

Although it is not possible to estimate the amount, violence and organized crime also force people to flee in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

Impact of Olympics

The report also estimates that, with the preparation for the Olympics, 6,600 families were threatened or lost their homes in Rio de Janeiro. Most lived in slums or informal settlements and was forced to leave central regions to live in the suburbs.

"Given that 60% of the Olympic Park area will be dedicated to the development of condominiums to be sold on the open market after the Games, the return is not an option for the displaced," says the study.

The researchers criticize the fact that residents of the demolished Vila Autódromo, for example, have had all the alternative proposals denied by the government.

"The pressure to leave Rio ready for the Olympic Games did not leave time for institutions and procedures were reformed. On the contrary, allowed for some abuse," he said.