More than 200,000 displaced as fighting escalates in Yemen, UN says

What the report says

The International Organization for Migration says more than 200,000 people have been forced from their homes in Yemen as fighting has intensified in recent weeks. Al Jazeera, citing IOM figures, reported that displacement rose sharply from about 76,000 in mid-September to more than 200,000 by early October, underscoring a fast-worsening humanitarian emergency.

The UN migration agency said people are fleeing with nowhere safe to go, as needs for food, shelter and basic assistance continue to grow. Displacement has been reported across the country, with the southwestern governorate of Taiz among the hardest hit. The report also said more than 3,700 people have crossed by sea to Djibouti.

The escalation comes after a UN-brokered truce had largely reduced major cross-border attacks in 2022. Al Jazeera reported that the Houthis now control most of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and recently took Yemen’s Red Sea coast from forces aligned with the internationally recognized government. Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council has announced an offensive to try to retake Houthi-held territory, including Sanaa.

The UN World Food Programme warned that three in four families in parts of Yemen are going hungry, adding to concern that renewed conflict could deepen one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.