Yemen displacement surges as clashes persist amid worsening humanitarian crisis

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 —

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis deepens as fighting displaces 130,000 in three months, UN warns

The escalation threatens to push Yemen’s already shattered infrastructure and aid systems beyond breaking point, with the UNHCR warning that the conflict’s expansion—particularly along Yemen’s western coast toward the strategically Bab el-Mandeb Strait—has triggered a "rapidly growing displacement crisis." The agency’s spokesperson, Babar Baloch, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the situation is now most acute in Taiz, where more than 60% of the recent displacements have occurred.

Families trapped in the governorate face impossible choices: remain under fire, risk blocked roads, or attempt perilous journeys with dwindling fuel supplies.

The displacement is not confined to Taiz. Fighting in Al Jawf, Marib, and Hudaydah has also forced thousands from their homes, with women and children making up the vast majority of those uprooted—many for the second or third time. Before the latest escalation, Yemen already hosted 5.2 million internally displaced persons, a figure that has ballooned as the conflict enters its second decade.

At least 22 million Yemenis—more than half the population—now require humanitarian aid, while the country remains home to 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Somalia and Ethiopia.

The crisis is spilling beyond Yemen’s borders. Civilians fleeing clashes in the Gulf of Aden have begun arriving in Djibouti in unprecedented numbers, with over 3,000 Yemenis already registered since the escalation began. Hundreds more have landed in neighboring Somaliland and Puntland, with UNHCR projecting that up to 10,000 could reach Djibouti by mid-October, when improved sea conditions are expected to facilitate further crossings.

The surge has already exceeded the total number of Yemeni refugees arriving in Djibouti in recent years, Baloch noted, signaling a potential regional refugee crisis.

Funding shortages are exacerbating the emergency. UNHCR’s operations in Djibouti are just 15% funded, while in Yemen, the agency has received only $34 million of the $194 million required for 2026—before accounting for the latest displacement wave.

The underfunding comes as aid groups warn that Yemen’s economy, already in freefall due to years of conflict and sanctions, is now facing a perfect storm: soaring fuel costs, collapsing infrastructure, and a collapsing currency that has made basic goods unaffordable for millions.

The conflict’s latest phase traces back to the rapid advance of Iran-backed Houthi fighters along Yemen’s western coast, clashing with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. The Houthis’ push toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—a critical chokepoint for global shipping—has raised fears of further destabilization in the Red Sea region, where attacks by Houthi militants have already disrupted maritime trade.

The UNHCR’s warning underscores the human cost of this geopolitical tension, with Baloch emphasizing that the displacement figures represent only the most recent surge in a crisis that has shown no signs of abating.

For Yemen’s displaced, the options are increasingly dire. Those who manage to flee face overcrowded camps in Djibouti with limited resources, while those trapped inside the country endure repeated cycles of violence and deprivation. The UNHCR has called for urgent funding to scale up assistance, but with international attention divided between multiple crises, the outlook remains bleak. The agency’s appeal for $194 million in Yemen alone—now likely to rise—highlights the scale of the challenge ahead.

As fighting continues unabated, the humanitarian community is bracing for further displacement, with Baloch stressing that the situation could worsen before it improves. The next critical period will be the coming weeks, as sea conditions allow more Yemenis to risk the journey to safety—only to find that the resources to support them remain critically short.

The story of Yemen’s displaced is now one of regional concern, with Djibouti and its neighbors on the front lines of a crisis that shows no signs of reaching its peak.

Related: Babar Baloch