(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) UNITED NATIONS Dhu-AlQa'dah 13 1436 Aug 28 2015 SPA-- The United Nations said Friday that Syria's conflict has driven half of the country's people to flee their homes with the number of those who have left the country approaching 20 percent of the pre-war population.
According to the world body at least 7.6 million people are displaced within Syria which had 23 million inhabitants four-and-a-half years ago before the civil war began.
Meanwhile more than four million people have become refugees.
The head of U.N. humanitarian operations said that aid in Syria continues to be blocked by belligerents particularly in difficult-to-access zones or those occupied by regime or opposition forces.
Roughly 4.6 million civilians live in these areas and 422000 are living in a state of siege.
'This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation' U.N. refugee chief Antonio Guterres said in July. 'It is a population that needs the support of the world but is instead living in dire conditions and sinking deeper into poverty.'
--SPA
19:46 LOCAL TIME 16:46 GMT
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