The huge displacement of people inside Iraq appears to be contributing to the further fragmentation of the country.
The scale of the overall displacement is unprecedented in the modern history of the Middle East.
There are now an estimated four million Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homes, and the numbers continue to rise, according to the UN refugee agency.
Neighbouring Jordan and Syria, which have borne the brunt of the problem after receiving some two million refugees over the past few years, have now restricted access because they can no longer cope with the influx.
The head of the Iraq Support Unit,
said with so many people in desperate need of shelter and food, Iraq was like a pressure-cooker.
Some analysts have drawn comparisons with the plight of the Palestinians, who were forced to flee after the creation of the state of Israel
the threat of instability may haunt the region for the foreseeable future.
clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk