More than 100,000 displaced as they flee violence in Yemen: UN

The United Nations says fighting along Yemen’s western coast has forced over 100,000 people to flee their homes and prompted thousands to undertake perilous boat journeys across the Bab al-Mandeb strait to reach Djibouti. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) described the recent spike in displacement as rapid and said many arriving in Djibouti are exhausted and carrying only what they could take.

UNHCR warned the flow of people is overwhelming local resources and called for urgent support. The agency said roughly $14 million in new funding is needed immediately to cover shelter, food, clean water, health services and protection for displaced families inside Yemen, with additional assistance required for those who have reached Djibouti.

Displaced residents recounted sudden departures as frontlines shifted. One woman said she had to leave her five children behind near Mocha when the area fell to Houthi forces and described relatives trapped in their homes and facing severe shortages. A man from Hodeidah said his family fled in haste, taking only essentials while escaping what he characterised as intense shelling and sniper fire.

UNHCR links the displacement to a rapid Houthi advance that resulted in the group seizing control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, consolidating control over the Bab al-Mandeb waterway. That strait is a vital maritime link between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and has gained added strategic importance amid wider regional tensions affecting alternative shipping routes.

The agency noted more than 65,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers already in Yemen — mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia — face heightened risk as fighting spreads. UNHCR’s representative in Djibouti reported that recent arrivals are largely women, children and older people who reached shore after difficult crossings and urgently need basic aid and protection.