Key facts
- Tens of thousands more people could be driven from homes in Yemen by an upsurge of fighting, the UN refugee agency said.
- The UN refugee agency projects an additional 100,000 people could be forced from their homes within the next three months.
- More than 3,000 people have fled Yemen by boat across the Red Sea to Africa, a figure that could rise to 10,000 next month.
- Houthi fighters have advanced this month, seizing the Red Sea coast and extending the wider Middle East conflict.
- The UNHCR response plan for Yemen was less than 20% funded before the renewed violence.
Tens of thousands more people could be driven from their homes in Yemen due to an upsurge in fighting that has already displaced over 130,000 people this month, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday. Projections indicate an additional 100,000 people may be forced to flee their homes within the next three months, with some potentially crossing the Red Sea to Africa.
More than 3,000 people have already fled Yemen by boat to Djibouti, Somalia, and other countries, a figure that could rise to 10,000 next month as calmer seas are expected to encourage more departures, according to UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch. The World Food Programme is also ramping up its aid in Yemen amid escalating hunger and displacement caused by Houthi advances.
Houthi fighters have advanced this month in a battle against forces of a Saudi-backed government, seizing the Red Sea coast and extending the wider Middle East conflict to a new theatre. The UNHCR response plan for Yemen was less than 20% funded before the renewed violence caused a surge in needs.