UN says number of displaced people worldwide tops 84 million

BERLIN (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says the number of people worldwide forced to abandon their homes likely increased to more than 84 million in the first half of this year. It says the rise was driven in particular by conflicts in Africa. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Thursday the number of displaced people was up from 82.4 million at the end of 2020. A report found that the number of people classed as refugees under its mandate was more than 20.8 million halfway through the year. That’s an increase of 172,000 from the end of last year. The number of asylum-seekers stood at 4.4 million, up237,000.