Fighting escalates in Yemen
A rapid Houthi offensive that captured the Red Sea port city of Mocha and overran surrounding coastline and islands near the Bab al-Mandeb strait in mid-September triggered a mass displacement of Yemeni civilians, with the UN refugee agency reporting more than 100,000 people forced from their homes in Taiz governorate alone as fighting intensified between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized government. The Executive Unit managing displacement camps in Taiz said nearly 66,000 people were displaced between August 10 and September 15, about 95% of them from five hard-hit districts -- Jabal Habashi, al-Maafer, Maqbana, al-Wazi'iyah and Mawza -- with entire villages reportedly emptied; camps such as al-Munij and Mushrifa have swelled with families living in open, doorless shelters with little access to clean water or toilets. Across the Bab al-Mandeb strait, Djibouti's government reported about 1,400 refugees arriving from Yemen within a single 24-hour period in mid-September, including 500 rescued at sea near the border town of Obock after their boats ran out of fuel; the International Organization for Migration said total displacement since fighting resumed in July had reached roughly 76,000 people, quadrupling after the renewed Houthi escalation.
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As it ran
16 September 2026
- Taiz camps overflow with Yemenis fleeing fighting after Houthi offensive Al Jazeera
- Djibouti calls for assistance as thousands of Yemenis flee to country Al Jazeera
13 September 2026
- About 1,400 Yemenis flee to Djibouti within 24 hours Al Jazeera
- More than 2,000 Yemenis flee to Djibouti as fighting intensifies Al Jazeera
12 September 2026
- ‘We Left in the Clothes We Were Wearing’: Yemenis Flee New Fighting New York Times
- Yemenis Flee Their Homes as Fighting Escalates New York Times