Taiz camps overflow with Yemenis fleeing fighting after Houthi offensive

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the Taiz governorate following the recent escalation in the conflict in Yemen.

An elderly man on the outskirts of the al-Ghazaliyah camp for displaced people in the al-Bireen area, Taiz governorate, Yemen [Al Jazeera]

Taiz, Yemen – Hajja Fatima Mohammed Saleh, a 70-year-old Yemeni woman, is among the countless people and families displaced from Taiz governorate, southwest Yemen, in recent fighting between government forces and the Houthis.

The Iran-backed rebel group, also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God), now controls most parts of northwestern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.

list 1 of 4 Why the Houthi advance towards Yemen’s Marib, Taiz matters

list 2 of 4 Saudi Arabia promises to respond to Houthi attacks ‘firmly’

list 3 of 4 Can the Houthis hold on to Yemen’s strategic western coast?

list 4 of 4 Saudi Arabia faces high-stakes choices as war with Houthis escalates

Saleh’s village in Maqbanah district, on the border of Yemen’s western coast, is situated at the epicentre of last week’s Houthi assault in which the group captured the whole of the Red Sea coast, including the port city of Mocha.

At least 100,000 people have now fled their homes following renewed fighting between the two sides , according to the United Nations’ refugee agency, most leaving with few belongings due to the speed of the Houthi offensive.

Saleh said she had to leave her wheelchair behind as it was unsuitable for the rugged terrain her family had to navigate to find shelter.

“The attack was massive, we had never seen anything like it before. Shells were falling heavily on the village, and bullets were flying in every direction,” she told Al Jazeera.

“We had no choice but to leave and flee to a safe place. We left everything we owned and walked a long distance on foot. For me, I suffered especially because I am disabled and cannot walk, so I had to crawl – using both hands – for a long distance through rain and floods before we found a vehicle to carry us.”

UN agencies and the internationally recognised Yemeni government say that Taiz governorate has witnessed most of the displacements, with Taiz City among the Houthis’ next targets after their victory on the Red Sea coast. This means the humanitarian situation could worsen even further.

Ali al-Shumairi, director-general of the Executive Unit for the Management of IDP Camps in Taiz governorate, told Al Jazeera that 65,845 people were displaced between August 10 and September 15. About 95 percent of those displaced come from the five districts which witnessed the heaviest fighting: Jabal Habashi, al-Maafer, Maqbana, al-Wazi’iyah and Mawza.

Newly displaced people at al-Munij camp [Al Jazeera]

Fighting has intensified on several fronts in Yemen as government forces have carried out air attacks on Houthi positions in attempts to retake Mocha, days after the group captured the strategic port city, tightening its grip on the Red Sea – a vital shipping lane.

This development has placed the Bab al-Mandeb Strait , the strategic waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean, at the heart of the war between the United States and Iran, and amplifies pressure on global trade routes.

Yemen’s more than 10-year civil war was reignited in July, threatening a United Nations-brokered truce that halted large-scale violence in 2022, after the Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

Forces affiliated with Yemen’s internationally recognised government have launched a campaign against the Houthis on a number of fronts since last week. They have retaken some positions and are advancing in the southwestern Taiz province as clashes intensify.

Osama al-Wafi, supervisor of the Mushrifa camp in Wadi Bikhawlan in Taiz governorate and a representative of the Yemeni government’s Executive Unit in Jabal Habashi district, described the situation as “dire and tragic”.

“These people have been displaced and have lost all the basic necessities of life, after having homes, farms, and livestock. Now they are only looking for a shelter to house them,” al-Wafi told Al Jazeera.

He said the number of displaced people arriving at the camp is steadily rising, with more than 1,500 families entering over the past six days, most living in the open due to a lack of shelter.

The al-Munij camp in the al-Bireen area, about 40 kilometres southwest of the semi-besieged city of Taiz, has become a temporary refuge for Yemenis fleeing the area after another bout of conflict between government and Houthi fighters in 2020.

Over the years, al-Munij has extended over a space of two square kilometres to house more displaced families, while other larger camps have been established in the area. Most residents complain they lack access to the most basic services – such as sporadic drinking water supplies and few toilets – in the camps.

Hajj Saif Qaed Thabet, 73, has been living with his wife and four children in an exposed space with no doors since arriving at al-Munij on September 10. He left behind a farm and livestock from his home in al-Kadaha, western Taiz governorate.

“We were displaced because of the war, fleeing bullets and artillery shells falling over our heads. Since arriving at the camp, we have been living like this, waiting for our situation to be addressed and for us to be housed in a suitable place,” said Thabet. “Praise be to God in all circumstances.”

Displaced man Hajj Saif Qaed Thabet, 73, has been living in the open air since he arrived with his family at al-Munij camp on Thursday, September 10 [Al Jazeera]

Malouk Ahmed Ali, 55, from the al-Kadaha area in Taiz , said her family of 14 all escaped drones, shelling and gunfire on foot, including five children under her care, seven under her daughter’s care, and her elderly grandmother.

“We fled to an area near our village in the hope that the war would calm down quickly and we would return to our homes, but the clashes expanded until they reached us, so we were displaced again to here aboard a military vehicle that came to transport the threatened homeless people,” she told Al Jazeera.

“When we arrived at this camp, we were received and placed in this small tent as temporary housing for all members of the large family. Although they took all our information, our situation has not improved much so far, and we still hope it will improve.”

Ali hopes the war will end soon so she can return home but believes her family’s possessions, including solar panels and a battery, will have gone.

“As for our livestock, most of them died, some fled to the mountains and valleys, and what remained was looted,” she said.

也门冲突近期升级，导致塔伊兹省数万人流离失所。

也门塔伊兹省比林地区加扎利亚难民营郊外的一位老人 [半岛电视台]

也门塔伊兹——70岁的也门妇女哈贾·法蒂玛·穆罕默德·萨利赫是近期政府军与胡塞武装交战中，从也门西南部塔伊兹省流离失所的无数民众和家庭之一。

由伊朗支持的反叛组织，又称安萨尔真主（真主的支持者），目前控制着也门西北部的大部分地区，包括首都萨那。

列表 1/4：胡塞武装为何向也门马里卜和塔伊兹推进？

沙特阿拉伯承诺“坚决”回应胡塞武装袭击（共4条，此为第2条）

问题 3（共 4 个）：胡塞武装能否守住也门具有战略意义的西部海岸？

沙特阿拉伯面临重大抉择（共4条），与胡塞武装的战争升级

萨利赫所在的马格巴纳区位于也门西海岸边界，是上周胡塞武装进攻的中心地带。胡塞武装占领了整个红海沿岸地区，包括港口城市摩卡。

据联合国难民署称，由于双方再次爆发冲突，至少有 10 万人逃离家园，由于胡塞武装的攻势迅速，大多数人离开时几乎没有携带任何财物。

萨利赫说，她不得不把轮椅留在原地，因为轮椅不适合她和家人为了寻找避难所而必须跋涉的崎岖地形。

“袭击规模巨大，我们以前从未见过这样的场面。炮弹猛烈地落在村庄上，子弹四处乱飞，”她告诉半岛电视台。

“我们别无选择，只能离开，逃往安全的地方。我们放弃了所有家当，徒步走了很远的路。对我来说，我尤其痛苦，因为我是残疾人，无法行走，所以我只能用双手在雨水和洪水中爬行很长一段路，直到找到一辆车来接我们。”

联合国机构和国际公认的也门政府表示，塔伊兹省是流离失所者最多的地区，胡塞武装在红海沿岸取得胜利后，塔伊兹市也成为其下一个目标。这意味着人道主义局势可能进一步恶化。

塔伊兹省境内流离失所者营地管理执行单位总干事阿里·舒迈里告诉半岛电视台，8月10日至9月15日期间，共有65845人流离失所。其中约95%的流离失所者来自战斗最激烈的五个地区：贾巴尔·哈巴什、马费尔、马格巴纳、瓦齐亚和莫扎。

阿尔穆尼吉难民营的新近流离失所者 [半岛电视台]

也门多条战线的战斗愈演愈烈，政府军对胡塞武装阵地发动空袭，试图夺回摩卡。此前数日，胡塞武装占领了这座战略港口城市，进一步加强了对红海（一条重要的航运通道）的控制。

这一事态发展使得连接红海、亚丁湾和更广阔的印度洋的战略水道——曼德海峡——成为美国和伊朗战争的核心，并加剧了全球贸易路线的压力。

也门持续十余年的内战于 7 月再次爆发，威胁到联合国斡旋达成的停火协议。该协议旨在阻止 2022 年的大规模暴力冲突。此前，胡塞武装宣布对沙特阿拉伯实施海上封锁，并开始在红海袭击其船只。

自上周以来，隶属于也门国际公认政府的武装力量已在多个战线对胡塞武装发起攻势。他们已重新夺回部分阵地，并随着冲突加剧，在西南部塔伊兹省不断推进。

塔伊兹省瓦迪比哈乌兰穆什里法难民营主管、也门政府贾巴尔哈巴什地区执行单位代表奥萨马·瓦菲将当地局势描述为“严峻而悲惨”。

“这些人流离失所，失去了所有基本生活必需品，他们原本拥有房屋、农场和牲畜。现在，他们只是在寻找一个可以安身立命的住所，”瓦菲告诉半岛电视台。

他说，抵达营地的流离失所者人数正在稳步上升，过去六天里已有超过 1500 个家庭进入营地，由于缺乏住所，大多数人只能露宿街头。

位于比林地区的穆尼吉营地距离半围困的塔伊兹市西南约 40 公里，在 2020 年政府军与胡塞武装再次发生冲突后，这里已成为逃离也门地区的也门人的临时避难所。

多年来，为了安置更多流离失所的家庭，穆尼吉营地已扩展至两平方公里，而该地区还建立了其他规模更大的营地。大多数居民抱怨说，营地里缺乏最基本的服务，例如时断时续的饮用水供应和寥寥无几的厕所。

73 岁的哈吉·赛义夫·卡伊德·塔比特 (Hajj Saif Qaed Thabet) 自 9 月 10 日抵达穆尼吉 (al-Munij) 以来，一直与妻子和四个孩子居住在一个没有门的露天空间里。他把位于塔伊兹省西部卡达哈 (al-Kadaha) 的家乡的农场和牲畜留在了那里。

“我们因为战争流离失所，躲避着头顶呼啸而过的子弹和炮弹。自从来到难民营，我们就一直过着这样的生活，等待着我们的处境得到解决，等待着被安置到合适的住处，”塔比特说道。“感谢真主，无论在什么情况下都是如此。”

73岁的流离失所者哈吉·赛义夫·卡伊德·塔比特自9月10日星期四与家人抵达穆尼吉难民营以来，一直露宿街头。[半岛电视台]

来自塔伊兹卡达哈地区的 55 岁居民马卢克·艾哈迈德·阿里表示，她的 14 口之家全部徒步逃离了无人机、炮击和枪击，其中包括她照顾的 5 个孩子、她女儿照顾的 7 个孩子以及她年迈的祖母。

“我们逃到村子附近的一个地区，希望战争能尽快平息，我们就能回到家园，但冲突不断扩大，直到波及到我们这里，所以我们再次流离失所，搭乘一辆前来运送受威胁的无家可归者的军车来到这里，”她告诉半岛电视台。

“我们到达这个营地后，被安排住进这个小帐篷里，作为我们这个大家庭所有成员的临时住所。虽然他们记录了我们的所有信息，但到目前为止，我们的处境并没有太大改善，我们仍然希望情况会有所好转。”

阿里希望战争尽快结束，这样她就可以回家了，但她认为她家人的财产，包括太阳能电池板和蓄电池，都会被毁掉。

“至于我们的牲畜，大部分都死了，一些逃到了山谷里，剩下的也被洗劫一空，”她说。