More Yemenis expected to flee from upsurge in fighting, UN says
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A displaced woman holding a child at a makeshift camp in Yemen’s Taiz province on Sept 21.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- An upsurge in fighting in Yemen has displaced over 130,000 people in September, with tens of thousands more expected to flee in coming months, says the UN refugee agency.
- Iran-backed Houthi fighters have seized the Red Sea coast, escalating the conflict and causing some displaced people to flee by boat to Africa, with numbers likely to increase.
- The UNHCR response plan for Yemen is underfunded at less than 20%, raising concerns over meeting the rising humanitarian needs amid the renewed violence.
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GENEVA – Tens of thousands more people could be driven from homes in Yemen by an upsurge of fighting that has already displaced more than 130,000 people in September, the UN refugee agency said on Sept 22.
“Intensifying fighting in Yemen could drive more mass displacement, with growing numbers of people expected to flee, both within Yemen and to Djibouti, Somalia, and other countries,” UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told a Geneva press briefing.
He said that planning projections indicated that an additional 100,000 people could be forced from their homes within the next three months.
Iran-backed Houthi fighters have advanced in September in a battle against forces of a Saudi-backed government, seizing the Red Sea coast and extending the wider Middle East conflict to a new theatre.
Most of those displaced so far remain within Yemen, but more than 3,000 people have fled by boat across the Red Sea to Africa. This figure could rise to 10,000 in October when calmer seas are likely to encourage more departures, Baloch said.
A UNHCR response plan for Yemen was less than 20 per cent funded before the renewed violence caused a surge in needs, a statement said. REUTERS