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

More than 200,000 people have been displaced from their homes since fighting in Yemen escalated in recent weeks, according to data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The IOM described the crisis in a statement on Wednesday as alarming, with displacement figures surging from 76,000 in mid-September to more than 200,000.

“People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope, calling for increased funding amid soaring needs for food and shelter.

Yemen is experiencing its most serious escalation in fighting since a UN-brokered truce largely halted major cross-border attacks in 2022.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who already control most of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, seized the country’s entire Red Sea coast last month from Saudi-backed forces of the internationally recognised government based in the southern port of Aden.

On Sunday, Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced an offensive to retake all remaining Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa, which the armed group has controlled since 2014.

Displacements have been recorded across Yemen, with the southwestern governorate of Taiz taking the heaviest blow.

More than 3,700 people have also fled by sea to Djibouti, the IOM said.

On Friday, the UN World Food Programme warned that three in four families in parts of Yemen were going hungry due to the “absolutely devastating” impact of the renewed conflict.