Yemen displacement crisis strains Djibouti as UN warns of depleted aid stocks
The United Nations reports that over 112,000 people have been displaced in Yemen, with nearly 3,000 fleeing to Djibouti by boat as fighting intensifies between the Houthis and government forces.
The United Nations has reported that more than 112,000 people have been displaced in Yemen, with close to 3,000 fleeing the conflict to Djibouti. The surge in displacement follows intensifying fighting between the Iran-allied Houthis and Saudi-backed forces loyal to the internationally recognised government.
Abdusattor Esoev, the mission chief in Yemen for the International Organization for Migration, stated that resources are "very, very, very limited" and that stocks will be depleted "very soon." He noted that most of the internally displaced people have been forced to flee over the last two weeks, primarily along the west coast and in the provinces of Taiz and Lahj.
The displacement crisis began when the Houthis made a rapid advance, seizing control of the entire Red Sea coast of Yemen. This move was aimed at tightening their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping route that has become an alternative passage as the United States’ war against Iran has choked the Strait of Hormuz.
Esoev estimates that 22 million Yemenis, or nearly half the population, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. The crisis also threatens more than 65,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia.
Francesco Galtieri, a representative for the UN Population Fund, warned that the crisis is growing "by the hour." He highlighted that thousands of women who have lost all their possessions are on the run with their children. Galtieri estimates that 2,000 pregnant women are among the displaced, with around 200 expected to give birth shortly.
The influx is adding significant pressure on Djibouti, a nation with a population of about one million. UNHCR representative Sandrine Desamours noted that Djibouti already hosts around 36,000 refugees, most from Somalia and Ethiopia. She added that while the number of new arrivals may sound small, it must be seen in proportion to the local population.
The UN refugee agency reported that more than 2,400 people made the voyage to Djibouti in the past week, mostly women, children, and older people. The shortest route across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is just over 25 kilometres, a distance that has become a critical escape route for those fleeing the conflict.
