Displacement pressures mount as Yemeni families flee Houthi advance
Two families who fled al-Khokha have reached Mukalla, where they report having no work and skipping meals as a government unit records a sharp rise in displacement.
Two brothers and their families left al-Khokha in early September as Houthi forces advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. They reached Mukalla on 16 September after travelling via Aden and Abyan, according to Al Jazeera’s report.
The families said they fled amid government troop withdrawals, shelling and nearby explosions. Their journey included shortages of water and food, vehicle breakdowns and time spent seeking fuel and repairs. They had previously been displaced from near Hodeidah in 2018.
In Mukalla, the families rent a three-room flat. Neither brother has found work, and they say they are relying on savings and skipping meals. Mohammed’s wife, Fatima, told Al Jazeera that she was also concerned about repaying debts to clothing traders.
Yemen’s Executive Unit for the Management of Displaced Persons Camps reported 197,906 people displaced since early September, up from about 100,000 two weeks earlier. The figure covers displacement across Yemen; the report gives no independent verification or methodology. Most displaced people were staying in Taiz governorate, the unit said.
A government official told Al Jazeera that the unit was working with Mukalla’s local administration to establish a camp. The report said displaced people had arrived needing basic assistance.
