Escalating conflict drives new displacement in Yemen
The ongoing recent clashes between Saudi-backed Yemeni Government forces and Iran-backed Houthi militia have triggered widespread displacement across Aden, Al Hodeidah, Abyan and Ta’iz, reflecting the widening geographic scope of the crisis, IOM said, calling for urgent support to meet the shelter, water and sanitation needs of newly displaced families.
At the same time, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said the fighting has raised concerns about further displacement inside Yemen and additional refugee movements if hostilities intensify.
“Many families fled at short notice with few belongings,” the agency reported, adding that shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection services are among the most urgent needs as receiving communities and displacement sites become overstretched.
UNHCR also reported that rapidly escalating hostilities along Yemen’s western coast have already forced more than 2,400 people to seek safety in Djibouti over the past four days.
More than 60 per cent are women, children and older people, and reports indicate that more people may be preparing to leave Yemen.
“People are arriving after a difficult sea journey, many exhausted, distressed and carrying what little they could take with them,” said Sandrine Desamours, UNHCR’s representative in Djibouti. “The response is already under pressure. We urgently need more support before more families arrive and needs outpace our capacity to assist them.”
Humanitarian access remains a major challenge alongside damaged roads and ongoing insecurity, UNHCR said.
In addition, telecommunications disruptions and movement restrictions are affecting operations, particularly along the west coast and between Ta’iz, At Turbah and Aden.
Damage to Al Makha port has further constrained humanitarian movement and logistics, the agency said.
The escalation is also raising broader concerns over the impact on global humanitarian logistics already strained by the ongoing disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, UN agencies said.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a critical maritime corridor linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
“Continued insecurity could affect humanitarian and commercial shipping serving Yemen, Sudan and other ongoing emergencies in the region and beyond, potentially increasing transport costs and delaying the delivery of critical relief supplies,” UNHCR said, warning that any further deterioration in security could force rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope, adding 25 to 30 days to shipping times.
For its part, UNHCR has mitigation measures in place, with emergency supplies already en route and the possibility of land shipments from its global stockpiles in Dubai and Nairobi.
UN agencies are scrambling to provide emergency assistance across Yemen.
Here are the highlights: