Hard on the heels of the disaster that has befallen Iraq as a result of the US-led invasion four years ago comes the worst refugee crisis in the Middle East since the mass exodus of Palestinians that resulted from the violent birth of the state of Israel in 1948.

As yesterday's huge car-bombings bloodily highlighted, Iraqis are prey to anarchy and sectarian warfare that still claim thousands of lives every month. Despite the occupation's attempts to turn the tide of violence and hand responsibility for security to Iraqis, ethno-sectarian cleansing carried out by Sunni and Shia Muslim insurgents and militias is accelerating. Around 50,000 Iraqis are now fleeing their homes every month, forced out by gunmen or caught in the crossfire, unable to work or send their children to school, or cut off from the most basic amenities such as water and electricity.