The fighting in Chad has caused at least 20 thousand Chadians to flee to neighboring Cameroon and as many as three thousand to Nigeria. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Red Cross are providing assistance to the new arrivals in Cameroon.

The United Nations refugee agency says there are worrying signs that fighting could erupt again among government forces, renegade troops and rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province.

Esteves, the Portuguese ambassador says the European Union wants the military junta to release all political prisoners, and also pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. He urges the Burmese military to allow the expert, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, to enter the country to conduct his investigation. Pinheiro, who is critical of Burma's human rights record, has been refused entry.

The U.N. refugee agency says it may have to scale down its operations in West Darfur because it is running out of money. The UNHCR says it is facing a shortfall of more than $7 million needed to assist more than two million internally displaced people and thousands of refugees from Chad and the Central African Republic.

The top United Nations refugee official has praised Syria and Jordan for accommodating Iraqi refugees, and he has urged the international community to support their efforts.

The U.N. refugee agency reports between February and May, more than 400,000 civilians fled the Somali capital Mogadishu. This was sparked by heavy fighting between the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government and insurgents. The UNHCR says another 27,000 people have fled renewed violence since June.

A senior United Nations official traveling in Damascus has called for Iraqi refugee parents to send their children to public schools in Syria, pointing out that these young people hold the key to Iraq's future.

In marking this year's observance of World Refugee Day, the U.N. refugee agency is warning more countries are closing their doors to refugees because of growing intolerance and a fear of terrorism. The agency says genuine asylum seekers are being turned away and refused a safe haven at a time when an increasing number of people are fleeing violence, persecution and oppression.

The United Nations is rushing aid to refugees pouring into the Central African Republic (CAR) from the troubled Darfur region of Sudan, a spokesperson said today.

More than 4 million Iraqis have fled their homes, seeking refuge either inside the country or beyond its borders as the situation deteriorates, the United Nations refugee agency said, urging countries to do more to ease their plight.

The United Nations refugee agency is running a provocative international advertising campaign that employs shock tactics to raise awareness about its work and drum up public support for those who have been forced to flee their homes.

The United Nations refugee agency said today it is "highly concerned" over living conditions for hundreds of Palestinians who fled their homes in Baghdad to a camp near Iraq's Syrian border, which has no healthcare and is vulnerable to a harsh climate.