Refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria are a major consequence of the war. Due to the fact that most areas are dominated by the Sunni majority, bombings from the regime are not uncommon and it is therefore potentially dangerous to reside in any Syrian town. More than 90% of refugees registered with UNHCR identify themselves as Sunni Muslims. In proportion to this, religious minorities including the Christians and Alawites, constitute 1% of all registered refugees.
The large number of refugees in Syria has an immense impact on its neighbours, placing strains on their economy by reducing their available resources. As a result, Iraq (33.33° N, 44.43° E), Turkey (39.92° N, 32.83° E) and Jordan (31.95° N, 35.93° E) have either closed their borders or have limited their daily refugee inflows. However, this causes refugees to become stranded on Syrian borders with limited shelter to the violent attacks of the regime. Likewise, if too many refugees do have access to neighbouring borders, the conflict can spread throughout the Middle East, as is already shown in Lebanon. Increasing social tensions between the refugees and their host countries can lead to new political instability.
The large number of refugees in Syria has an immense impact on its neighbours, placing strains on their economy by reducing their available resources. As a result, Iraq (33.33° N, 44.43° E), Turkey (39.92° N, 32.83° E) and Jordan (31.95° N, 35.93° E) have either closed their borders or have limited their daily refugee inflows. However, this causes refugees to become stranded on Syrian borders with limited shelter to the violent attacks of the regime. Likewise, if too many refugees do have access to neighbouring borders, the conflict can spread throughout the Middle East, as is already shown in Lebanon. Increasing social tensions between the refugees and their host countries can lead to new political instability.
Figure 9. This graph from economist.com shows the number of refugees displaced by war. We can see that from 2011-2013, 1 million Syrians were displaced, making this war the third most devastating war in terms of people displaced from the selected conflicts. This highlights the extensive effect the war has had on the Syrian population.
Figure 10. This graph, sourced from UNHCR data shows the total number of Syrian refugees living in countries neighbouring Syria as of September 2013. From it, we can from July 2012 to July 2013, the total number of Syrian refugees registered with the UNHCR increased more than ten times. It suggests that if the war does continue, the number of refugees will increase exponentially, and can eventually exceed more than 10 million.
Refugee Hosting Countries.
The Syrian Civil War has a major impact upon its neighbours, not only due to the issue of refugees; Syrian governments have exchanged fire with Turkish and Israeli militaries and have fired into Lebanon. The number of foreign fighters flowing from the Middle East into Syria has now exceeded that of any previou conflict in the modern history of the Muslim world, of which the previous record was in the 1980s Afghanistan war, in which 3000 – 4000 foreign fighters had been attracted. Such large inflows tend to prolong the war and raise the risk of terrorism, which has been in a state of advancement in the Syrian Civil War.
This can be attributed to the ease of access into the Syrian border. Due to the fact that the Syrian rebels currently control territory along the northern border of Syria, there is no systematic control of the Syrian regime to stop the fighters entering Syria.
With the increase in foreign participation, the violence can equally spill into neighbouring countries. If the regime wants to cease this, they must equally raise the risk of participation; however, how to do so is complex.
This can be attributed to the ease of access into the Syrian border. Due to the fact that the Syrian rebels currently control territory along the northern border of Syria, there is no systematic control of the Syrian regime to stop the fighters entering Syria.
With the increase in foreign participation, the violence can equally spill into neighbouring countries. If the regime wants to cease this, they must equally raise the risk of participation; however, how to do so is complex.
Map of Refugee Distribution Figure 11. This map shows the distribution of Syrian Refugees. From this we can see that Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are the most popular places for members of the Syrian Population who have fled their country. The population pyramid also shows that most refugees are over the age of 17, with the number of male and female being approximately equal.
Please Note: All maps are given with North facing directly upwards.