Iraqi refugee flow to rich nations doubles: UN refugee agency

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2007

GENEVA (AFP) — The number of Iraqis seeking asylum in industrialised countries has more than doubled in the space of a year and the flow has accelerated, the UN refugee agency said Friday.

During the first half of 2007, 19,800 Iraqis lodged asylum applications in 36 industralised countries, almost half of them in Sweden (9,300) and the rest mainly in Greece, Spain and Germany, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

During the same period last year, some 8,500 Iraqis fleeing sectarian violence in their homeland sought asylum in rich nations.

The UNHCR said in a statement that if the current trend continues the number of Iraqi asylum seekers heading for industrialised nations could reach an annual total of 40,000 to 50,000 by the end of 2007....