1,400 Yemenis flee to Djibouti within 24 hours

What the report says

About 1,400 people fled from Yemen to Djibouti in a 24-hour period, according to Djibouti’s economy and finance minister, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, in comments reported by Al Jazeera on 13 September 2026. The arrivals were linked to worsening conditions around the Bab al-Mandeb strait, where Houthi fighters have tightened their control, raising concern for people trying to leave Yemen by sea.

Al Jazeera reported that Dawaleh said 500 refugees reached the coastal town of Obock on Friday, including women and children, after their boats reportedly ran low on fuel during the crossing. Obock, near the Yemeni coast, has long been a common landing point for people escaping Yemen’s conflict. The International Organization for Migration also said vulnerable groups were arriving there and more were expected in the following days.

The report said the exodus comes as fighting in Yemen escalates, with the IOM warning that at least 46,000 people had been displaced inside the country since last week. The agency said repeated displacement is leaving families with very little and making aid delivery harder. Djibouti already hosts tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers, including people from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen, according to UN figures cited by Al Jazeera.

The development matters because the Bab al-Mandeb strait is a key maritime corridor for regional movement and trade, and fighting there can quickly affect both civilian escape routes and humanitarian access.