Yemen conflict displaces 112,000 people inside country, thousands flee to Djibouti, UN migration agency says

GENEVA: Over the past fortnight, a staggering 112,000 individuals have been uprooted within Yemen due to ongoing conflict, according to the United Nations migration agency. Additionally, nearly 3,000 people have made desperate sea journeys to Djibouti, a nation on Africa's Horn. The Houthis, a Yemeni insurgent group, have intensified their assaults on Saudi lands and vital energy infrastructure, pushing further along Yemen's Red Sea coast.

In response, both Saudi and Yemeni air forces have targeted Houthi assets. The UNHCR representative, Sandrine Desamours, informed reporters in Geneva that the influx has overwhelmed Djibouti's capacity, potentially leading to 10,000 refugees arriving in the coming days. Djibouti's healthcare and educational systems are bracing for the strain.

Meanwhile, the UN International Organization for Migration reports that refugees are traveling on overcrowded vessels and arriving with meager supplies. While the majority are Yemeni families, the IOM has also started to register a handful of migrants from neighboring Ethiopia. Authorities in Somaliland and Puntland have also noted a rise in arrivals, primarily consisting of Yemenis and Somali returnees, though the numbers are still in the hundreds.

UN agencies characterize the current situation as a crisis layered upon existing crises, citing Yemen's depleted health services and shattered economy, exacerbated by a protracted civil war between the internationally recognized Saudi-backed administration and the Houthi rebels. The Houthi push along Yemen's Red Sea coast has further empowered Iran in its ongoing conflict with the United States, as Tehran solidifies its control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint for international oil and commodity shipments.