Key facts
- At least 112,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen in the past two weeks.
- Nearly 3,000 people have crossed the Gulf of Aden to Djibouti by sea.
- Djibouti is preparing for the arrival of up to 10,000 refugees.
- The UN migration agency reported the displacement figures on Friday, September 18, 2026.
- The fighting is occurring along Yemen's west coast between Houthi forces and those aligned with the internationally recognized government.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Friday, September 18, 2026, that at least 112,000 people have been displaced within Yemen over the past two weeks due to intensified fighting along the country's west coast. The renewed conflict is between Houthi forces and those aligned with the internationally recognized government.
Nearly 3,000 individuals have also fled Yemen by sea, crossing the Gulf of Aden to reach Djibouti. Djiboutian authorities are preparing to receive up to 10,000 refugees, a move that UN agencies warn will put additional pressure on the nation's already strained health, education, and humanitarian services.
The latest figures represent a significant increase from earlier in the month. The UN migration agency noted that people are arriving in Djibouti on overcrowded boats with limited food and water. While most arrivals are Yemeni families, a small number of migrants, primarily from Ethiopia, are also being observed. Authorities in Somaliland and Puntland have also reported increased arrivals from Yemen, though in smaller numbers.
UN agencies described the ongoing fighting as a crisis compounding existing humanitarian challenges in Yemen, which has been devastated by a long civil war. The Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast and towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical shipping route, is seen as bolstering Iran's position in its regional conflict with the US.