Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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Figure 3: Forced migrant populations in OIC countries in the Middle East
Source: UNHCR, “Population Statistics”
Note: The international forced migrant population is calculated to be the number of refugees, people in refugee-like situations,
and asylum seekers residing in a country.
2.2.1. Migration Dynamics in the Middle East
The Middle East has seen large flows of forced migrants due to conflict, typified by the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Syrian Civil War since 2011. These two conflicts, and the
continued sectarian violence in Iraq, have added to an already complex set of forced migrant
populations in the region.
Conflict-driven migration
Forced migration in the Middle East has largely been driven by large-scale, intense conflicts
and warfare. Currently the most prominent example is the Syrian civil war. In 2011, protests
related to the Arab Spring descended into civil war as hundreds of protestors were killed and
a rebel group of military defectors took up arms to overthrow the government.14 As civil war
plunged the country into chaos, different groups sought to gain power, creating a complex
multi-front war and drawing limited international attention to alleged human rights violations
14 Al Jazeera, “Syria’s Civil War Explained,” Al Jazeera, May 24, 2016