Yemeni Refugees Flee West Coast Fighting for Djibouti
Thousands have crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait by boat in the past ten days due to Houthi offensives.
Thousands of Yemenis have fled fighting on the country's west coast, crossing the Bab al-Mandab Strait by boat to Djibouti over the last ten days. The exodus has prompted officials in Obock, a small Djiboutian port town, to prepare for the potential arrival of up to 10,000 refugees.
The International Organization for Migration, a UN agency, reported that refugees are making the journey on overcrowded boats and arriving with minimal food and water supplies. The recent surge in displacement is linked to an offensive by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which is seeking to capture a key island and the strategically important port of Mokha on Yemen's west coast. BBC News correspondent Frank Gardner visited a refugee camp in Obock, documenting the preparations for the influx.