NEW YORK CITY: With the Lebanese prime minister warning that up to 1 million people might be displaced amid war in his country, a top official with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees official has sounded the alarm on the 鈥渘umbing鈥� of the world to human suffering, and the difficulty of responding to crises in Lebanon, Sudan and elsewhere.

A 鈥渕assive increase in displacement鈥� is taking place in Lebanon, warned Raouf Mazou, UNHCR assistant high commissioner for operations, appealing for the international community to overcome its crisis fatigue and support a humanitarian response to the conflict.

He was speaking to Arab News in New York City on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly.

It comes as Israel ramped up its aerial campaign across Lebanon, with strikes into the heart of Beirut and elsewhere killing hundreds of people last week.

The escalation has compounded woes for the UN鈥檚 refugee agency, which is battling crises in some of the world鈥檚 most impoverished and conflict-ridden countries.

Two of its workers were killed last week in Lebanon. The UNHCR said it was 鈥渙utraged and deeply saddened鈥� by the deaths.

Dina Darwiche, from the UNHCR鈥檚 Bekaa office in the country鈥檚 east, was killed alongside her youngest son as an Israeli missile struck her home on Sept. 23. Ali Basma, who worked with the agency鈥檚 Tyre office in the south, was also confirmed dead.

鈥淥n our colleagues, it鈥檚 the drama of the context where civilian populations are the victims of indiscriminate bombing, indiscriminate airstrikes 鈥� this is what we鈥檙e observing,鈥� Mazou told Arab News.

鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 at work at the time when it happened. They were living their normal lives. But it reminds us of how civilians are exposed.

鈥淚n addition to that, we also have situations where colleagues in the course of their duty are targeted or find themselves killed.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 another concern that we have: humanitarian workers being exposed to danger as they鈥檙e performing their functions.

鈥淚n this specific case it wasn鈥檛 鈥� they weren鈥檛 at work 鈥� but still, this is something that to us, of course, is extremely concerning.鈥�

The escalation in Lebanon is 鈥渘ot something the world needs right now,鈥� Mazou added, warning that the 鈥渕assive numbers鈥� being displaced in the country also include the 80,000 Lebanese who fled to neighboring Syria in the past week, according to the government.

In response to the conflict, the UNHCR is executing its contingency plans and beginning distribution of pre-positioned aid, but urgently needs assistance as part of a wider international response, Mazou said, adding that it will also 鈥渟trengthen its presence鈥� to protect the most vulnerable.

But with conflicts in the region already raging in Sudan, Gaza, Syria and Yemen, there is a 鈥渄ifficulty鈥� in mobilizing adequate resources for Lebanon, he said.

鈥淲e have core relief items already pre-positioned in the region which we can give fairly fast. We have the presence of colleagues. The presence of colleagues is absolutely essential. There are many other items that are necessary and which we鈥檒l provide,鈥� he added.

鈥淲e鈥檙e now coming up with an appeal that we鈥檙e going to issue, to ask for support from the international community.

鈥淏ut that鈥檚 happening at a time when it鈥檚 already difficult to mobilize resources. There are many other crises around the world, so it鈥檚 already difficult. And now we have another crisis added to the existing one.

鈥淪o we鈥檙e very worried. We hope we鈥檒l be able to mobilize, but we鈥檙e really appealing to the international community to provide the resources that are required.鈥�

For Mazou, the proliferation of conflict has not only tested the logistical strength of the UNHCR, but has also 鈥渘umbed鈥� the global community to human suffering.

鈥淲e all become numb. There鈥檚 a new conflict, there鈥檚 a new crisis 鈥� we simply don鈥檛 have the normal reaction of outrage that we should normally have,鈥� he said.

The result is that many of the countries receiving refugees from the world鈥檚 conflicts 鈥� some of which are already impoverished and unstable 鈥� are unable to provide sufficient protection and support.

Host countries are often 鈥渋n very difficult situations鈥� themselves and, faced with accepting millions of refugees, are too often left to handle the problem alone, Mazou said.

鈥淭hey provide a global public good by receiving refugees, but they need the support of the international community.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 give that support, at the end of the day it鈥檚 the victims who are again exposed to more danger.鈥�

Chad, for example, hosts about 2 million refugees, including from Sudan. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 completely untenable for a country that鈥檚 fairly poor, and also a country that鈥檚 suffering from the economic impact of the war in Sudan.

鈥淭he whole eastern part of Chad 鈥� now finds itself in a situation where it can no longer benefit from the economic trade that was taking place.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the countries which are receiving these refugees, whether it鈥檚 Chad, whether it鈥檚 the Central African Republic, whether it鈥檚 Libya, whether it鈥檚 Egypt 鈥� countries which are struggling in providing the protection and the system that鈥檚 required. They need the support of the international community,鈥� Mazou said.

A lack of international support in the humanitarian response to crises has dire effects on the ground, meaning a greater risk of famine, sexual violence against women, and children losing access to education, he warned.

鈥淭he consequences are that you don鈥檛 provide the basic assistance that鈥檚 required, whether it鈥檚 food assistance with the risk of famine, women finding themselves exposed to sexual violence, or children who absolutely don鈥檛 have access to school. Children in Sudan haven鈥檛 had access to school for all this time.鈥�

The civil war in Sudan has pushed the UNHCR鈥檚 mandate to its limit. After 17 months of conflict, the country is now victim to the world鈥檚 worst hunger crisis, and humanitarian agencies are struggling to respond.

More than 10 million people have been forcibly displaced from Sudan, pushed into neighboring countries and beyond, with the UNHCR recently declaring emergencies in Uganda and Libya related to the conflict.

At the UN this week, Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR鈥檚 high commissioner, recounted two visits to Sudan earlier this year, describing conditions there as 鈥渁pocalyptic鈥� and urging donors to fill the 鈥渟everely underfunded鈥� response plan.

鈥淚 can, frankly, hardly think of any other conflict where our, by now, chronic inability to bring about peace 鈥� is more in evidence than the Sudan conflict,鈥� he said.

鈥淚f people don鈥檛 die because of bullets, they starve to death. If they manage to survive, they must face disease, or floods, or the threat of sexual violence and other horrifying abuse, which if perpetrated in other places would make daily headlines. It doesn鈥檛 in this situation.鈥�

With famine declared at a displacement camp in El-Fasher in North Darfur, the UN鈥檚 main food relief body, the World Food Programme, is struggling to deliver aid to the country amid blocking by government forces and their Rapid Support Forces paramilitary rivals.

Humanitarian workers operating in Sudan have also been targeted or killed in deliberate attacks.

For Mazou and the UNHCR, opening access to aid in Sudan is of the utmost priority. 鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 first making sure that humanitarian access is granted. We鈥檝e been talking to the parties to the conflict. They know that they have the responsibility, they have accountability that they must provide humanitarian access. But that鈥檚 something that we keep on repeating,鈥� he said.

鈥淎nd then we need to have the resources to make sure that we can carry the humanitarian assistance that鈥檚 required to the populations in need in asylum countries first.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important in today鈥檚 world to underline the fact that asylum countries are willing to provide asylum, and that鈥檚 not the case everywhere,鈥� he added, citing Chad, the CAR, Libya and Egypt.

Disputes, rivalries and buck-passing among developed countries on the issue of hosting refugees has been a matter of chronic concern for the UNHCR.

Grandi, as well as a host of humanitarian leaders, have long cited the contrasting reactions of many European countries to the Syrian and Ukrainian refugee crises as evidence of 鈥渄ouble standards.鈥�

European countries positioned on the edges of the continent 鈥� including Spain, Greece, Croatia and Italy 鈥� have engaged, openly or secretly, in violent pushback policies to turn back refugees at their borders, according to a series of reports published by Amnesty International in recent years.

In the years preceding the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many of the countries neighboring the latter had complained of an inability to shoulder the burden of hosting refugees from outside Europe, Mazou said.

But following the outbreak of the war, these countries 鈥渞eceived several million鈥� Ukrainian refugees, in a sign that 鈥減eople do realize that it鈥檚 their responsibility to provide asylum鈥� in a crisis, he added.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that we must all underline,鈥� Mazou said. 鈥淣ot only the high commissioner, but a number of humanitarian leaders have stressed the importance of supporting countries regardless of where they鈥檙e located, to make sure that the assistance that鈥檚 required is provided.鈥�

With the UNHCR drawing on all its resources to meet the mounting demands of refugees fleeing crises around the world, Mazou highlighted international support as the backbone of his agency鈥檚 operations.  

鈥淲e have to put in place mechanisms, and to respond to the needs of the people,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e continue to appeal to make sure that the needs of all refugees around the world are responded to, and that we鈥檙e in the position of mobilizing for all countries around the world and not just one crisis.鈥�