UN warns of rising Yemen displacement as thousands flee to Djibouti

Renewed fighting could drive 10,000 across the Red Sea and displace more than 230,000 internally, UNHCR says.

Al Jazeera2026-09-22 12:58查看原文 ↗

Renewed fighting could drive 10,000 across the Red Sea and displace more than 230,000 internally, UNHCR says.

People fleeing clashes between Houthis and Yemeni government forces gather to receive supplies from the International Organisation for Migration at the Markazi refugee camp after arriving in Djibouti on September 18, 2026 [Abdourahim Arteh/Reuters]

The number of refugees fleeing Yemen across the Red Sea to Djibouti could reach 10,000 as result of renewed fighting in the country, while internal displacement inside Yemen could swell to more than 230,000, the United Nations has warned.

The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline earlier this month in a dramatic offensive that has left hundreds of people on both sides dead, threatened global trade, and pushed up energy prices.

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The latest fighting between the Houthis and forces loyal to the Aden-based government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has set off a new humanitarian crisis.

More than 100,000 civilians have been uprooted inside Yemen, while others have risked dangerous sea crossings to escape the violence.

“Intensifying fighting in Yemen could drive more mass displacement,” United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

More than 3,000 people fled across the Red Sea to Djibouti over several days earlier this month, Djibouti state media reported. The UNHCR said it was bracing for that number to rise significantly, especially after mid-October when the current difficult sea conditions are expected to improve.

The agency and its partners are now “planning for more than 10,000 arrivals in Djibouti” in the coming months, Baloch said.

At the same time, the number of people displaced within Yemen by the recent fighting could swell from more than 130,000 today to more than 230,000, he said.

Women and children, who fled fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Red Sea coastline areas, walk at a camp for internally displaced people near Aden, Yemen on September 19, 2026 [Reuters]

That comes on top of the more than 5.2 million people who were already internally displaced in Yemen before the fighting resumed.

Baloch warned that the renewed conflict was deepening an already dire crisis in the country, where an estimated 22 million people require humanitarian assistance.

He warned that a severe funding shortfall was hampering the response to the emergency, with the UNHCR’s Yemen operation currently just 18 percent funded for 2026.

The agency estimated that $25m is urgently needed to provide approximately 231,000 people with immediate aid.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR’s Djibouti operations are only 15 percent funded, with the agency appealing for $13.5m “to ensure arrivals can access registration, reception, protection, and other essential services”.

联合国难民署表示，重新爆发的冲突可能导致 1 万人流离失所，并造成超过 23 万人在国内流离失所。

2026年9月18日，逃离胡塞武装和也门政府军冲突的人们抵达吉布提后，聚集在马尔卡齐难民营，从国际移民组织领取物资。[Abdourahim Arteh/路透社]

联合国警告称，由于也门境内战事再度爆发，逃往吉布提的难民人数可能达到 1 万人，而也门境内的流离失所者人数可能超过 23 万人。

本月初，伊朗支持的胡塞武装发动猛烈攻势，夺取了也门红海沿岸的控制权。这场攻势造成双方数百人死亡，威胁到全球贸易，并推高了能源价格。

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也门境内已有超过 10 万平民流离失所，另一些人则冒着生命危险横渡大海以逃离暴力。

联合国难民署（UNHCR）发言人巴巴尔·巴洛赫周二在日内瓦告诉记者：“也门战事加剧可能导致更多民众流离失所。”

据吉布提国家媒体报道，本月初的几天内，超过3000人穿越红海逃往吉布提。联合国难民署表示，预计这一数字将大幅上升，尤其是在10月中旬之后，届时目前恶劣的海况预计将会改善。

巴洛赫表示，该机构及其合作伙伴目前正在“计划在未来几个月内迎接超过 10,000 名游客抵达吉布提”。