Syria 'spiralling towards disaster': Video shows life in refugee camps as one million are displaced

There are fears that Syria is spiralling towards full-scale disaster as the number of refugees forced to flee the fighting hits the one million mark.

Antonio Guterres, The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the figure is based on reports from his agency's field offices in neighbouring countries that have provided refuge for Syrians escaping the civil war.

With millions more displaced but still inside Syria, Mr Guterres warned the country is "spiralling towards full-scale disaster".

A video released today by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) shows the desperate plight of thousands of refugees as they move across the Syrian border into Jordan, where they have nowhere else to go other than temporary camps.


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According to the UNHCR the number of refugees has swelled dramatically since the start of the year, with most Syrians pouring into Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

Their presence is severely straining the resources of host countries and the international donor community.

Oxfam’s Syria response crisis programme manager, Francis Lacasse, said: “This landmark figure of one million refugees forced to flee fighting is an indictment of international failings to deal with the Syrian crisis. It should now spur governments and donors to redouble efforts to tackle both the refugee crisis and the conflict within the country."

Today Britain pledged to supply armoured vehicles and body armour to Syrian opposition forces as it stepped up efforts to end a humanitarian crisis of "catastrophic proportions".

Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had ordered "more active efforts" after securing a relaxation of an EU arms embargo to allow the provision of non-lethal military equipment to protect civilians.

Testing equipment to provide evidence of any use of chemical weapons by the regime and training for armed groups in international human rights and legal standards is also being sent.

He said £3 million had been allocated this month for the work with another £10 million to follow - urging other countries to do the same.

"The Cabinet is in no doubt that this is a necessary, proportionate and lawful response to a situation of extreme humanitarian suffering, and that there is no practicable alternative," he said.

"All our assistance will be carefully calibrated and monitored as well as legal, and will be aimed at saving life, alleviating this human catastrophe and supporting moderate groups."

Syria's uprising began in March 2011 with protests against president Bashar Assad's authoritarian rule.

When the government cracked down on demonstrators, the opposition took up arms and the conflict turned into a full-blown civil war. The United Nations estimates more than 70,000 people have been killed.

The relentless violence has devastated many cities and forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians to seek refuge abroad.

More than 400,000 people have become refugees since January 1, and often arrive in neighbouring countries "traumatised, without possessions and having lost members of their families", Mr Guterres said.

Around half are children, with the majority under the age of 11.