Yemen: Escalating conflict drives new displacement and refugee arrivals in Djibouti

GENEVA - UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that rapidly escalating hostilities along Yemen's western coast have displaced more than 100,000 people inside the country and forced thousands more to seek safety across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in Djibouti.

The fighting has uprooted families across Al Hodeidah, Ta'iz, Lahj, Aden, Abyan, Marib, Al Dhaleh and Shabwah, raising concerns about further displacement inside Yemen and additional refugee movements if hostilities intensify. Many families fled at short notice with few belongings. Shelter, food, clean water, health care and protection services are among the most urgent needs, as receiving communities and displacement sites become overstretched.

Humanitarian access remains a major challenge. Insecurity, damaged roads, telecommunications disruptions and movement restrictions are affecting operations, particularly along the west coast and between Ta'iz, At Turbah and Aden. Damage to Al Makha port has further constrained humanitarian movement and logistics.

UNHCR is leading the inter-agency response for protection, shelter, and site coordination, working closely with humanitarian partners that continue to deliver assistance despite the challenging security environment.

It has also activated its emergency response capacity inside Yemen, focusing on life-saving protection, shelter, relief items and financial assistance. Immediate activities include multipurpose financial assistance for 1,000 households, emergency shelter cash for 500 households, and shelter repair kits for 1,000 households. Subject to funding and access, UNHCR is preparing to scale up with 3,000 additional core relief item kits and expanded financial support.

UNHCR is also deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of more than 65,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers inside Yemen, most from Somalia and Ethiopia, who face renewed risks.

At the same time, the escalation is driving cross-border movements. Over the past four days, more than 2,400 people have made the sea crossing from Yemen to Djibouti, arriving mainly through Obock, Khor Angar, Moulhoule and Godoria. More than 60 per cent are women, children and older people, and reports indicate that more people may be preparing to leave Yemen. UNHCR is also monitoring the possibility of onward or parallel movements toward Somalia, where contingency planning is under way should additional arrivals materialize.

"People are arriving after a difficult sea journey, many exhausted, distressed and carrying what little they could take with them," said Sandrine Desamours, UNHCR Representative in Djibouti. "The response is already under pressure. We urgently need more support before more families arrive and needs outpace our capacity to assist them."

This is primarily a movement of refugees fleeing conflict and insecurity. The people arriving from Yemen are seeking international protection and should be received and assisted. UNHCR thanks Djibouti, a long-standing refugee host, for keeping its borders open and welcoming those who fled.

UNHCR is supporting the Government of Djibouti and the national refugee authority with reception, registration and protection activities. UNHCR teams are in Obock, while new arrivals are being transferred from coastal arrival points to Markazi refugee village for registration and further assistance. With authorities and partners, UNHCR is providing transport, temporary shelter, relief items, food, water, health care and protection services.

"Djiboutian families and the Yemeni refugee community are opening their doors and sharing what little they have, but the humanitarian response, already facing a dire funding crisis, is being stretched fast," said Desamours. "Markazi only has room for around 5,000 more refugees, while we are preparing for more than 10,000 arrivals. An overwhelming number are children and adolescents, and UNHCR has been working with the Government to integrate them into existing, crowded schools. We need support before space, water, shelter and essential services run out."

The escalation is also raising broader concerns over the impact on global humanitarian logistics, already strained by the ongoing disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a critical maritime corridor linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Continued insecurity could affect humanitarian and commercial shipping serving Yemen, Sudan and other ongoing emergencies in the region and beyond, potentially increasing transport costs and delaying the delivery of critical relief supplies.

UNHCR has mitigation measures in place, with emergency supplies already en route to Sudan and the possibility of land shipments from its global stockpiles in Dubai and Nairobi. However, any further deterioration could force rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope, adding 25 to 30 days to shipping times.

UNHCR requires an estimated $14 million to meet immediate needs for displaced families inside Yemen. Additional international support will also be needed in Djibouti to ensure that refugees arriving from Yemen can continue to access reception, protection and essential services.

For more information, please contact:

• In Amman, Rula Amin, [email protected], +962 790 045 84
• In Nairobi (regional), Dana Hughes, [email protected], +254 717 540 160
• In Geneva, Eujin Byun, [email protected], +41 79 747 8719

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