UN Report: Refugees As Non-Traditional Warfare
The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees released an interim report today claiming that a significant proportion of the present displaced communities crisis has come from states in conflict using mass migration as a form of warfare against neighbors.
"We know that conventional warfare has become exceptionally difficult to carry out successfully, with the combination of networked guerilla movements, suicide drones, and pervasive media coverage. Masses of refugees, however, can overwhelm the capacity of a nation-state nearly as effectively as conventional warfare, especially when the refugees include those suffering from ReDS or other communicable diseases. We call on all states to immediately cease the use of community displacement as a form of unconventional warfare."
The executive summary does not identify which countries have been using refugees as weapons, and reportedly listing in the final report has been subject to strident debate. The UNHCR office refused to comment on claims that large minority of the commissioners are at work on a dissent report.
As of October 2019, over 750 million people have been classified as displaced, worldwide.