Record numbers of people displaced in their own countries in a 'world falling apart'

FILE PHOTO: Internally displaced Syrians walk together near tents at a camp in Azaz, Syria March 1, 2022. Picture taken March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano

GENEVA (Reuters) - In a world beset by conflicts and natural disasters, the number of people who fled their homes and sought shelter within their own countries hit a record high of close to 60 million by the end of last year, according to new data.

Disasters, including weather events such as cyclones and floods in Asia as well as protracted conflicts in places like Syria, Afghanistan and Ethiopia were factors behind high levels of new displacements last year, according the report compiled by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).