Yemen Conflict Intensifies, Displacing Over 112,000 as Fighting Reaches Red Sea Coast
Nearly 3,000 have fled by sea to Djibouti amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and strategic maritime routes.
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has resulted in the displacement of at least 112,000 people in the past two weeks, according to the United Nations migration agency. The intensified fighting is concentrated along the country's west coast and has led to nearly 3,000 individuals fleeing by sea to Djibouti.
The Iran-aligned Houthi forces have escalated their offensive, launching increased attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure. Simultaneously, they are advancing along Yemen's Red Sea coast, nearing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical global shipping lane. In response, Saudi and Yemeni air forces have conducted bombardments of Houthi targets.
Navigating overcrowded boats across the Gulf of Aden, those fleeing Yemen arrive with minimal supplies. Sandrine Desamours, the representative for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Djibouti, reported that close to 3,000 people have arrived in the Horn of Africa nation in less than a week. The Djiboutian government is preparing for the potential arrival of up to 10,000 refugees, a situation that is expected to strain the country's health and education services.
The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has noted that many arrivals are families seeking refuge, though a smaller number of migrants, primarily from Ethiopia, are also using the same routes. In Somaliland and Puntland, authorities have reported hundreds of arrivals from Yemen, including refugees and Somali returnees.
UN agencies have characterized the current situation as a crisis layered upon existing ones. Yemen's health services and economy have been severely impacted by a prolonged civil war between forces loyal to the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed administration and the Houthis. This conflict has created one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises.
The Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast is seen as strengthening Iran's position in its broader conflict with the United States. The group's increasing control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint for international oil and commodity shipments, comes months after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
![Yemeni refugees gathered on a dirt patch near a