Escalating conflict in Yemen could fuel more displacement, refugee movement

Intensifying fighting in Yemen could drive more mass displacement, with growing numbers of people expected to flee both within Yemen and to Djibouti, Somalia and other countries, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning.

Fighting in Yemen is expanding across multiple front lines, triggering a rapidly growing displacement crisis and driving more than 130,000 people to flee their homes since the beginning of September.

Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, with at least 110 casualties reported, including 28 lives lost. It is feared that casualty and displacement numbers are likely to grow, deepening humanitarian needs at a time when insecurity and access constraints are already hampering relief efforts.

Taiz remains the epicentre of the crisis, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the overall displacement, with many families remaining within the governorate itself, unable to move to safer locations due to fighting, blocked roads or lack of transportation and fuel. Displacement is also being reported from Al Jawf, Marib and Al Hodeidah governorates, reflecting the expanding, multi-front nature of the conflict.

Most newly displaced families have found refuge in Aden, Lahj, Abyan and Al Dhale'e governorates and even in Marib, with more than 90,000 people arriving in these areas. Conditions for displaced people are increasingly severe as they arrive at already congested displacement sites in urgent need of shelter, food, clean water, health care and protection, placing additional pressure on fragile services and infrastructure.

Even before the recent escalation, more than 5.2 million people were internally displaced in Yemen, and the current fighting is deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis in the country. It is estimated that more than 22 million people require humanitarian assistance, including internally displaced people and around 65,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia.

In response, UNHCR has declared an initial Level 1 emergency for Yemen, Djibouti and Somalia, enabling the rapid mobilization of resources and staff to scale up our response through cash assistance, shelter and protection.

Emergency cash assistance has already been provided to 200 displaced families, with immediate support planned for 1,000. As more than 70 per cent of displaced families are in emergency or substandard shelters, funding has also been secured to provide cash-for-shelter assistance to 500 displaced families in Aden and Lahj, while preparations are underway to distribute 1,000 shelter repair kits to rehabilitate damaged houses. Protection assessments have been initiated to identify urgent needs and risks among 2,000 households.

UNHCR is dispatching 3,000 packages of core relief items from its global emergency stockpile in Dubai to support families in Yemen, including sleeping mats, blankets, solar lamps, kitchen sets, jerry cans, mosquito nets and plastic tarpaulins.

With partners, planning is underway for the voluntary return of some 150 Somali refugees from Aden to Mogadishu.

Despite these efforts to scale up the assistance, humanitarian operations face severe constraints. Active front lines, insecurity, movement restrictions, telecommunications disruptions, and damaged roads and other infrastructure - including Al Mokha port - are limiting access and slowing the delivery of life-saving aid. Safe and unimpeded access to the affected populations is urgently needed to bring relief to families who fled with little.

The response is also constrained by a severe funding shortfall. UNHCR's Yemen operation is only 18 per cent funded in 2026, with $34 million of the $194 million required even before this latest escalation generated new needs. An estimated $25 million is urgently needed for UNHCR to assist some 231,000 people with immediate humanitarian needs.

Across the Gulf of Aden in Djibouti, Yemeni refugees continue to arrive daily. More than 3,000 have so far arrived in Djibouti - where UNHCR is working with the authorities and partners to assist the arrivals. Hundreds have also landed in Somaliland and Puntland.

The daily number of refugee arrivals in Djibouti has already surpassed the highest daily number of Yemenis arriving since 2015. UNHCR and partners are planning for more than 10,000 arrivals in Djibouti, with sea conditions expected to improve by mid-October, potentially enabling further crossings. UNHCR's Djibouti operation is 15 per cent funded, and UNHCR and humanitarian partners are urgently appealing for $13.5 million to ensure arrivals can access registration, reception, protection and other essential services. We are deeply concerned about the impact of the renewed conflict on civilians, including widespread displacement and suffering.

For further information, please contact:

• In Amman: Rula Amin, [email protected], +962 (0) 790 045 849
• In Amman: Tarik Argaz, [email protected], +962 (0) 791 223 095
• In Geneva, Babar Baloch: [email protected], +41 79 513 95 49

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