Politics
Renewed heavy fighting in Yemen has displaced large numbers of people. Aid agencies have warned that humanitarian needs are rising dramatically in Yemen and neighboring Djibouti,
Renewed heavy fighting in Yemen has displaced large numbers of people. Aid agencies have warned that humanitarian needs are rising dramatically in Yemen and neighboring Djibouti, where thousands of people have been forced to seek refuge. Abdul Sattar Isa Yuf, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, said the agency needs additional resources to assist displaced people, as its current supplies are extremely limited and will soon run out. Two weeks after clashes began between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthi militias, more than 112,000 people have been displaced from the areas of Aden, Hudaydah, Abyan and Taiz.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 4.8 million Yemenis were already living as displaced people due to years of war, economic devastation and natural disasters. The rapidly escalating fighting in Yemen’s western coastal areas has forced more than 3,000 people to undertake dangerous sea journeys. They crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait and reached Djibouti in search of safety, raising concerns that local resources could come under severe pressure.
Alessandra Vellucci, UN News Director in Geneva, said that delivering humanitarian assistance through the United Nations to Houthi-controlled areas has now become virtually impossible. UN personnel have been detained, while the organization’s buildings have also been taken over by the Houthis. She said that 73 UN personnel are being held in detention by the Houthis, some of whom have been detained since 2021. Five former UN staff members, along with dozens of people affiliated with non-governmental organizations, civil society groups and diplomatic missions, are also being detained. Isa Yuf has urged the international community to step forward and support Yemen. He called for immediate assistance to meet the basic needs of people displaced by the violence, including food, shelter, healthcare, water and sanitation.
Even before the latest escalation in Yemen, nearly half of the country’s population of more than 40 million people was already in need of humanitarian assistance. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), half of the population in government-controlled areas is facing food shortages. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has expressed growing concern about households headed by women. The emergency has also further increased health needs in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Yemen is already facing several health threats, including cholera, measles, dengue, diphtheria and food shortages. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told journalists in Geneva that, according to an assessment conducted before the recent escalation in fighting, only 60 of more than 5,000 medical centers and healthcare facilities were fully operational.
In addition to people displaced within Yemen, thousands have crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait and sought refuge in Djibouti. Sandrine Dezamour, UNHCR’s representative in the country, said people arrived with very few belongings, while some came without family members. Some had fled Yemen for a second time, having also left the country during the 2015 crisis. In some cases, the Djibouti Coast Guard provided fuel to boats stranded at sea, while other vessels were towed to safety. Alexander Quessk, head of the IOM mission in Djibouti, said the arrival of 3,000 refugees from Yemen is a major challenge for a country that is already hosting a large number of refugees.
