By Naeema Saleem — SCN News
ADEN — At least 125,000 people have been forced from their homes in Yemen since the beginning of September as fighting involving Iran-aligned Houthi forces and government-aligned forces intensifies, the United Nations said, adding a new wave of displacement to one of the world's most protracted humanitarian crises.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said about 18,000 families had been displaced since September 1 as hostilities spread, causing civilian casualties and putting humanitarian operations already struggling with shortages and access constraints under further pressure. Many of those fleeing have previously been displaced by Yemen's long-running conflict.
The latest UN figures mark a rapid increase from estimates only days earlier. The International Organization for Migration said on Friday that about 46,000 people had been displaced in Taiz and Hodeidah as Houthi forces advanced along Yemen's western coastline, while subsequent UN estimates showed displacement expanding sharply as the fighting continued.
The UN Human Rights Office has verified 40 civilian casualties between September 1 and 14, including eight people killed and 32 wounded. Women and children accounted for around half of those killed and more than half of those injured, according to the UN humanitarian update.
The humanitarian impact is worsening as the Houthis consolidate gains along the Red Sea coast and government-aligned forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, attempt to halt their advance. Recent fighting has centred on strategically important areas of Taiz and Hodeidah, including the port of Mokha and territory approaching the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The Houthis' advance towards Bab al-Mandab has given the renewed Yemen conflict a significance extending well beyond the country's borders. The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a critical passage for shipping between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Control or disruption around the strait could force commercial vessels onto substantially longer routes around Africa.
Saudi and Yemeni forces have responded with air strikes against Houthi positions as Riyadh confronts renewed attacks on its own territory. The Houthis said on Monday that they launched dozens of missiles and drones at the Khamis Mushait military airbase in southern Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi-led coalition said 13 civilians were wounded in the attacks.
The combination of frontline fighting and air strikes has complicated efforts to reach civilians. Aid agencies say damaged infrastructure, disrupted communications, movement restrictions and insecurity are obstructing humanitarian operations, while essential supplies are running low in some locations.
Some Yemenis have attempted to escape the country altogether. More than 2,000 people have crossed the Red Sea to Djibouti, but severe fuel shortages are making the journey increasingly difficult and expensive. UN agencies are also preparing for the possibility of substantially larger refugee arrivals if the conflict continues.
The renewed violence threatens to reverse years of relative calm following the UN-brokered truce of 2022. Yemen had not returned to a comprehensive political settlement, but large-scale frontline fighting had eased substantially before the latest regional confrontation reignited military pressure inside the country.
The new displacement is particularly damaging because Yemen entered the escalation with millions already dependent on humanitarian assistance. Years of conflict, economic deterioration and repeated displacement have weakened household resilience, while international aid agencies have faced declining funding at the same time that humanitarian needs are rising.
The speed of the latest population movement underscores how rapidly the battlefield is changing. An estimated 46,000 displaced people reported late last week has now been overtaken by OCHA's figure of around 125,000 since the start of September, suggesting that civilians are leaving affected areas faster than humanitarian organisations can establish stable assistance networks.
The fighting also risks connecting Yemen's humanitarian emergency more closely with the wider struggle over Middle Eastern energy and shipping routes. Houthi pressure around Bab al-Mandab is occurring while disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has already heightened concerns over Gulf energy exports, leaving two of the region's strategically important maritime corridors exposed to the consequences of escalating conflict.
For civilians, however, the immediate consequences are more basic. Families are fleeing with limited possessions while shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and safe transport are increasingly difficult to secure. The United Nations has called on all parties to protect civilians, respect international humanitarian law and allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.