There are 120,000 more refugees worldwide in mid-1999 than there were six months ago. In Africa alone, the number of refugees and displaced persons has increased an estimated 110,000 in the first half of the year.
Volatility continues far beyond Kosovo.
Last year, some 2.5 million people became newly uprooted in Africa for periods of weeks, months, or longer. This is no time to cut MRA and ERMA funding. Additional donor cuts in FY2000, as contained in the Senate Appropriations bill, would cripple refugee assistance in many locations. A shameful disparity exists between the level of refugee protection in most parts of the world in contrast to virtually nonexistent protection for refugees in many African countries. Refugee Women and Child Program Cuts Budget shortfalls often disproportionately impact programs that assist and protect refugee women and children.