More than 82,000 people have been displaced from Yemen’s western coastal provinces since the beginning of September due to ongoing fighting, including more than 2,000 who have reached Djibouti, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday.
The IOM said in a statement that it had recorded 82,164 displaced people since the beginning of September alone, as fighting continues along Yemen’s western coast in the provinces of Taiz, Al Hudaydah and Lahj.
“Over 2,000 people fleeing the hostilities have reached Djibouti's northern shores so far, landing at scattered points along the coast near Obock,” it added.
Fighting intensifies
Djibouti’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Diaa-Eddin Bamakhrama, said around 1,400 Yemenis had arrived in the country over the previous 24 hours because of the escalation in Yemen’s western coastal areas.
“Djiboutian authorities are leading the response, mobilising the Navy, army, police and health services, with support from IOM and UN partners,” the UN agency said.
Those arriving, including many women and young children, have been transferred to the Markazi site in Obock, where they are receiving water, high-energy biscuits and hot meals, it said.
“More are expected to flee as fighting intensifies,” it warned.
“Behind every number is a family who's lost everything. Many have been displaced multiple times,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said in the statement.
“People are crossing the sea with nothing because they have no other choice left. Yemen is a country torn by poverty and conflict, and it cannot carry this crisis alone,” she added.
Pope called on donors to scale up support for arrivals in Djibouti and for local communities in Obock hosting them.
Displacement numbers ‘rising rapidly’
On Saturday, the IOM said Taiz had been the hardest-hit province in the latest displacement wave, with 8,300 families, or around 50,000 people, displaced from various districts, including Jabal Habashi, Al-Maafer, Maqbanah, Mawza and Al-Waziiyah.
It also recorded the displacement of 2,819 families, nearly 17,000 people, in Lahj; 1,374 families (8,100 people) in Al Hudaydah; and 191 families (1,100 people) in Aden.
The agency warned that displacement numbers were “rising rapidly” as fighting intensified and said they were expected to increase further in the coming days.
Clashes between government forces and the Houthis have intensified since early July 2026 after years of relative calm.
In recent days, Yemen’s battlefield map has seen major shifts amid escalating fighting between government forces and the Houthis.
The Houthis have announced control of several districts in Al Hudaydah and Taiz, along with Red Sea islands, while government forces claim advances in Al-Jawf near the Saudi border, moving closer to provincial capital Al-Hazm.
The Houthis control most of northern and western Yemen, including Sanaa, while government forces hold Aden and southern provinces including Hadramout and Shabwa.
