Yemen Displacement Surpasses 112,000 as Thousands Reach Djibouti

More than 112,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen and close to 3,000 Yemenis have fled by boat to Djibouti as fighting intensifies, according to reports from the United Nations and its agencies.

Most of those displaced within Yemen left their homes during the previous two weeks, with large movements reported along the country’s west coast and in the areas of Taiz and Lahj, Abdusattor Esoev, the International Organization for Migration’s mission chief in Yemen, told reporters.

The conflict involves the Iran-allied Houthis and Saudi-backed forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The Houthis advanced rapidly and seized control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, tightening their hold over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Humanitarian needs expand

Esoev said an estimated 22 million Yemenis, nearly half of the country’s population, urgently need humanitarian assistance. He warned that relief resources were under severe strain.

“Our resources are very, very, very limited and our stocks will be depleted very soon,” Esoev said.

More than 65,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia, are also threatened by the worsening situation.

Francesco Galtieri, a representative of the United Nations Population Fund, said the crisis was expanding “by the hour”. He described thousands of women who had lost all their possessions and were travelling with their children.

About 2,000 pregnant women are among those displaced, Galtieri said, including approximately 200 who are expected to give birth shortly.

Djibouti faces added pressure

The UN refugee agency reported that more than 2,400 people, mostly women, children and older people, made the journey to Djibouti during the previous week. The agency also put the total number of Yemenis who had crossed by boat at around 3,000.

The crossing takes place through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, whose shortest route is just over 25 kilometres. The waterway has also become an alternative shipping route as the United States’ war against Iran choked the Strait of Hormuz, according to the source material.

Djibouti has a population of about one million people and already hosts around 36,000 refugees, most of them from Somalia and Ethiopia, according to Sandrine Desamours, a representative of the UN refugee agency.

“While the number may sound small,” Desamours said, it must be considered in relation to Djibouti’s population.

The latest arrivals are adding to existing demands on a country that is already hosting refugees while responding to the movement of people escaping the conflict in neighbouring Yemen.