More than 200,000 people have been displaced from their homes following renewed fighting in Yemen in recent weeks, with displacement figures surging from 76,000 in mid-September.
The United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) described the crisis as alarming, saying nearly all those displaced had fled since fighting began in early September.
IOM Director General Amy Pope said “People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go,” calling for more funding amid rising needs for food and shelter.
Yemen is experiencing its most serious escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.
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The renewed conflict could reshape control in Yemen, with implications for Red Sea shipping lanes.
The Houthis, who already control most of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, seized the country’s entire Red Sea coast last month from Saudi-backed forces of the internationally recognised government, based in the southern port of Aden.
People have been displaced across 10 governorates, with Ta’iz the hardest hit.
More than 3,700 people have also fled by sea to Djibouti, the IOM said.
The UN World Food Programme said three in four families in parts of Yemen were going hungry because of the “absolutely devastating” impact of the surge in fighting.
Reuters
