Photo stories: Internally Displaced Persons

Thousands of Congolese fled the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) around Kibati, Democratic Republic of Congo as late as November 2008 after gunfire was heard. An estimated 1.15 million people have been uprooted from their homes within the country, but more than 250,000 fled after hostilities broke out in August 2008 in North Kivu. Credit: UNHCR/P. Taggart

The deteriorating security situation in Iraq has forced millions of people out of their homes. There are more than 2 million IDPs in Iraq and close to 2 million Iraqi refugees outside the country. Credit: UNHCR/K.Brooks

Many of the IDPs in Serbia fled Kosovo in tractors and caravans. UNHCR gave assistance to more than 300,000 refugees and IDPs in Serbia in 2007. Credit: Barbara McCallin/IDMC

Internally displaced indigenous people in Rio Sucio, Colombia. While forced displacement is always a very difficult experience, it can be catastrophic for indigenous communities who are closely linked to the land, and can lead to the total collapse of traditional authority and cultural patterns.

Thousands of people have fled violence in southern Afghanistan, where they spend the freezing winter in tents. Deteriorating security conditions are having an adverse impact on UNHCR’s efforts to help Afghan refugees and IDPs return home voluntarily. Three million Afghans remain in Pakistan and Iran. Photo: Astrid Sehl/NRC

Internally displaced children at a camp in West Darfur, Sudan. Up to 2.7 million people have been displaced by the violent conflict in Darfur, which has also left more than half of Darfur's people short of food. Credit: UN/Fred Noy

A young girl in front of a makeshift shelter after being displaced by the earthquake that hit northern Pakistan in October 2005. The devastating earthquake killed an estimated 73,000 people, leaving 3.3 million people homeless. Photo UN/Evan Schneider

Displaced Chadian women collect small fish in a pool in the waddi near Dogdore. The women have escaped attacks from Janjaweed militia in the surrounding villages and found refuge in Dogdore, Eastern Chad. Credit: UNHCR/H.Caux

A mother and her two daughters displaced by Cyclone Nargis, which devastated Myanmar in May 2008, displacing up to 800,000 people. Credit UN/UNHCR

The scale of food assistance in Sudan is unparalleled and the problem is acute among the more than 4 million people displaced within the country. Many IDPs in Sudan suffer from malnutrition and are dependent on food aid. Credit: Christophe Beau/IDMC