Renewed fighting in Yemen could force more than 10,000 people to flee across the Red Sea to Djibouti and push displacement inside the country above 230,000, the UN has warned.
“Intensifying fighting in Yemen could drive more mass displacement,” UN refugee agency spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
More than 3,000 people have fled to Djibouti in the past week, with UNHCR preparing for arrivals to increase, particularly after mid-October when difficult sea conditions are expected to improve.
The agency and its partners are “planning for more than 10,000 arrivals in Djibouti” in the coming months, Baloch said.
Rising number of displaced people
Inside Yemen, the number of people displaced by the latest fighting could rise from more than 130,000 to over 230,000, he said. More than 5.2 million people were already internally displaced before the fighting resumed.
The Houthis seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline earlier this month in an offensive that has killed hundreds on both sides, threatened global trade and pushed up energy prices.
The fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to the Saudi-backed, Aden-based intl-recognised government has deepened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 22 million people in Yemen requiring assistance.
Funding shortfall
Baloch warned that a severe funding shortfall was hampering the response to the emergency, with UNHCR's Yemen operation currently just 18 percent funded for 2026.
The agency estimated that $25 million is urgently needed to provide around 231,000 people with immediate aid.
UNHCR's Djibouti operations are meanwhile only 15-percent funded, with the agency appealing for $13.5 million "to ensure arrivals can access registration, reception, protection and other essential services".
