Nearly 86,000 people flee fighting in Yemen, UN says - Middle East Eye
The renewed fighting in Yemen between government forces and the country's Houthis has displaced nearly 86,000 people, International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday, after the figure rose by about 10,000 in a single day.
In a statement on Sunday, the UN’s migration agency said many of those forced to flee their homes had been displaced multiple times.
"Behind every number is a family who's lost everything," said Amy Pope, IOM Director General. "People are crossing the sea with nothing because they have no other choice left,” Pope said, warning that Yemen is a country torn by poverty and conflict, and it cannot carry this crisis alone.
More than 2,000 of the displaced, including many women and young children, have fled by boat from Yemen to Djibouti since Thursday evening, according to the IOM.
People arriving in Djibouti have been transported to a site in Obock (north) where they are receiving "immediate assistance", the organisation said, adding that "more people are expected to flee as fighting intensifies" and that "more support is needed".
The report comes as clashes between the Houthis and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which Saudi Arabia backs, have intensified since 3 September, killing hundreds. The Houthis have also launched cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, while the group's media say Saudi forces continue to carry out air strikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen.
In a lightning offensive this week, the Houthis have seized a wide swath of the Arabian Gulf's Red Sea coast, including strategic islands and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms (YNRF) reported that more than 950 violations against civilians have been documented across the western coast front lines following the Houthis’ entry into these cities.
The group said it recorded more than 150 cases of killings. According to preliminary information the organisation received, the Houthis looted the contents of several homes and private properties.
The Houthis also carried out a sweeping arrest campaign against civilians and military personnel as a means of pressure to force their relatives to return, surrender themselves, and hand over their weapons, the YNRF said.
