Key facts
- Over 230,000 Yemenis could be displaced if fighting intensifies.
- More than 112,000 people have already been displaced due to recent escalations.
- Thousands have fled across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Djibouti.
- Humanitarian aid operations are facing depleted resources and access challenges.
- 73 UN personnel remain arbitrarily detained by Houthi de facto authorities.
- $9 million has been released from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) for aid.
The United Nations warned that over 230,000 Yemenis could be displaced if fighting intensifies, as recent escalations have already forced nearly 100,000 people from their homes. The UNHCR representative for Yemen highlighted fears of a worsening humanitarian situation.
UN agencies reported that as many as 112,000 people have been displaced in the last two weeks, primarily along Yemen's western coast and in Taiz governorate, due to renewed clashes between Saudi-backed Yemeni Government forces and Iran-backed Houthi militia. Thousands have also fled across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Djibouti.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) called for urgent support to meet the shelter, water, and sanitation needs of newly displaced families, noting that receiving communities are becoming overstretched. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, expressed concerns about further displacement within Yemen and refugee movements to Djibouti if hostilities escalate.
Humanitarian aid operations are facing significant challenges, with resources dwindling and access becoming difficult. The Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva warned that aid delivery in Houthi-controlled areas has become "untenable," citing the arbitrary detention of 73 UN personnel by Houthi de facto authorities. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) noted that Yemen already faces multiple concurrent health risks, including cholera, measles, and malnutrition, with only 60 out of over 5,000 health service delivery units fully functioning before the latest escalation.
In response to the growing crisis, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher released $9 million from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) to provide urgent assistance to displaced families and the communities receiving them.