More than 100,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen amid rapidly intensifying fighting between the Houthi movement and forces loyal to the internationally recognised government, the United Nations has said.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said the escalating hostilities along Yemen’s western coast have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, while thousands more have undertaken dangerous sea journeys across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to neighbouring Djibouti in search of safety.
The agency warned that the worsening violence could trigger a major humanitarian crisis, placing additional pressure on communities and displacement sites that are already struggling with limited resources.
UNHCR said it urgently needs around $14 million in additional funding to provide essential assistance to displaced families inside Yemen, while further resources are required to support people arriving in Djibouti.
Many families have been forced to flee with little or no warning, taking only a few belongings with them. UNHCR identified shelter, food, clean drinking water, healthcare and protection services among their most urgent needs.
The fighting is also putting more than 65,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia, at increased risk.
The latest displacement followed a rapid Houthi advance along Yemen’s western coastline, with the group reportedly taking control of the Red Sea coast and strengthening its position around the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world’s key maritime shipping routes.
One displaced resident from Hodeidah, Hussein Haydara, described fleeing his home with his family amid shelling and sniper fire.
He said families had little time to gather their belongings and were primarily focused on getting their children to safety.
UNHCR said more than 2,400 people crossed the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Djibouti during the past four days. Most of those arriving were women, children and older people.
Sandrine Desamours, UNHCR’s representative in Djibouti, said many arrivals reached the country exhausted and distressed after difficult sea journeys, carrying only the few possessions they had managed to take with them.
The UN agency warned that continued fighting and further displacement could place even greater strain on humanitarian operations and host communities in both Yemen and Djibouti.
