Geneva, Jun 18, 2021, SPA -- The U.N. refugee agency says war, violence, persecution and human rights violations caused nearly 3 million people to flee their homes last year, even though the COVID-19 crisis restricted movement worldwide as countries shut borders and ordered lockdowns. In its latest Global Trends report released on Friday, UNHCR says the cumulative total of displaced people has risen to 82.4 million. It marks the ninth straight annual increase in the number of people forcibly displaced. Filippo Grandi, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, said conflict and the impact of climate change were among the leading sources of new movements of refugees and internally displaced people in 2020, AP reported. --SPA 14:21 LOCAL TIME 11:21 GMT 0012 www.spa.gov.sa/w1573565