The United Nations refugee agency has warned of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, affecting more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
The United Nations refugee agency has warned of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, affecting more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers. Intense fighting, economic hardship and restrictions on humanitarian access have left thousands struggling to survive. Speaking to journalists in Geneva on Friday, UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said the agency was deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis, citing insecurity, shortages of resources and rising prices.
He said the situation was particularly alarming at the Kharaz Refugee Camp in Yemen’s southwestern province of Lahj, which is home to approximately 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia. Although no refugee fatalities have been confirmed, shelling near the camp has disrupted essential services and restricted movement. Schools have been closed, while legal assistance and documentation services have been suspended. Saltmarsh added that some families were fleeing towards southern areas, including Aden, using roads also travelled by parties to the conflict, thereby exposing them to further danger.
Since fighting intensified in August, UNHCR has assisted approximately 600 Somali refugees in voluntarily returning from Aden to Mogadishu through three flights. More than 1,100 others have expressed an interest in returning, but continued attacks and insecurity have complicated further operations. Meanwhile, during the first nine months of 2026, more than 134,000 asylum seekers and migrants arrived in Yemen by sea, representing an increase of approximately 22 per cent compared with the same period last year. Saltmarsh recalled that at least 139 people reportedly died in October while attempting to reach Yemen from the coast of Djibouti.
He further said that more than 280,000 Yemenis had been displaced over the past month, while UNHCR's humanitarian appeal for the country had received only 19 per cent of the required funding. In addition, disruptions to regional shipping routes have further complicated the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Nevertheless, the agency has secured the free transportation of 11 containers of emergency supplies from Dubai to Yemen.
