Yemeni refugee crisis: Djibouti calls for assistance

Djibouti has reached out to the international community for immediate aid to cope with the overwhelming influx of Yemeni refugees. As of Thursday last week, over 2,500 Yemenis have already crossed into the country, and Interior Minister Omar Abdi Said predicts the number will surge to approximately 10,000 in the upcoming weeks. Said expressed concern on Wednesday, stating that the current influx has already surpassed Djibouti's national capacity and is facing increasing pressure due to dwindling international funding.

The surge in migrants is primarily driven by the intense fighting in western Yemen between the Iran-backed Houthis and the internationally recognized government, which receives support from Saudi Arabia. Djibouti, situated directly opposite Yemen across the Red Sea, has become a refuge for thousands of Yemenis seeking safety.

The ongoing conflict exacerbates the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, already the poorest country in the Middle East. Since 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war, more than 4.5 million people have been displaced. The recent escalation has heightened fears of additional internal displacement and the potential for even more Yemenis to flee their homeland.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has personnel and local authorities already on the ground in Djibouti, providing food and water to the arriving Yemenis. Safiya Ibrahim, the agency's response coordinator for Djibouti, emphasized that people arriving daily include women, children, babies, and the sick, and stressed the need for additional financial support to sustain their operations. Djibouti, the third-smallest nation in Africa, is home to fewer than 1.2 million people.