268,000 Displaced in Yemen as Fighting Surges, UN Agency Warns
In a statement published Sunday, the UN agency said the tally was current as of Oct. 23. Nearly all of those displaced had been forced from their homes since the start of September.
The escalation in western Yemen is also pushing civilians out of the country. At least 3,836 Yemenis had reached Djibouti as of Oct. 17, the IOM said. Half of them were children, including 282 under the age of five. Most said they were escaping deteriorating security, and several boats reportedly landed short of their destination after running out of fuel.
The agency separately logged 1,327 migrants who crossed by sea from Yemen to Djibouti while heading back toward their countries of residence.
Within Yemen, families are moving steadily south in search of safety. The displaced population in Aden has more than doubled since Oct. 7 to over 42,000, while Lahj is hosting about 67,000. Displaced families have found shelter in 62 districts across 10 governorates, reaching as far east as Al Maharah, according to the IOM.
“The scale and speed of this displacement is leaving families in desperate need of help, and our response is struggling to keep pace,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen.
“Our teams are reaching people every day, but funding is falling far short. Without urgent support, more families will go without assistance that could save their lives.”
Many of the displaced struggle to obtain clean water, health care and other basic services, amid severe fuel shortages and soaring food and medicine prices. The IOM said families are crowding into public buildings or sleeping outdoors, often with inadequate sanitation. Women, children, older people and people with disabilities face heightened protection risks, while access restrictions in Taiz continue to hold up aid deliveries.
“Many families have had to flee more than once, each time facing the struggle to find somewhere safe to stay and access the support they need,” Esoev said.
“Support must reach both displaced families and the communities hosting them now, before more lives are put at risk.”
The IOM urged donors to step up funding and called on all parties to protect civilians and aid workers and to guarantee safe, unimpeded access to people in need.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several other provinces in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to back the internationally recognized government. The Houthis now control much of northern and western Yemen, while government forces and their allies hold Aden and large parts of the south and east.
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