Key facts
- At least 115,000 people are on the move in Yemen due to renewed fighting.
- Houthi forces have advanced rapidly, seizing the port city of Mocha and the southern Red Sea coast.
- Families are fleeing their homes with nothing, seeking shelter in makeshift camps and relying on aid.
- The conflict has reignited along several fronts, with both Houthis and Saudi-backed forces engaged in fighting.
- Nearly 3,000 people have fled Yemen to Djibouti across the Gulf of Aden.
- The renewed fighting is seen as a spillover from the wider conflict between Iran and the United States.
Renewed fighting in Yemen has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, seeking refuge in makeshift camps and relying on aid agencies. The conflict, which had largely subsided after a 2022 truce, has intensified along multiple fronts, with the Iran-backed Houthi group making rapid advances. Families are escaping with nothing, recounting harrowing journeys barefoot and leaving behind belongings and animals.
The Houthi seizure of the port city of Mocha and the southern Red Sea coast has triggered a wave of displacement, with people fleeing into government-held areas and across the sea to Djibouti. Rawya Hassan, a 48-year-old mother, described her family's terror as bombardment erupted around their camp, forcing them to flee for the second time in eight years. They are now dependent on aid at al-Bireen camp.
Aid agencies report that at least 112,000 people have been displaced internally in Yemen over the past two weeks, while nearly 3,000 have crossed the Gulf of Aden to Djibouti. The current surge in violence is seen as a spillover from the broader conflict between Iran and the United States. The fighting involves drones and ballistic missiles from the Houthis, met with airstrikes from Saudi Arabia, with no immediate end in sight.