More Than 100,000 Displaced as Yemen Fighting Intensifies Along Red Sea Coast in Most Dangerous Countries

More than 100,000 people have been displaced in Yemen amid renewed fighting between Houthis and government forces in one of the most dangerous countries, with thousands fleeing by sea to Djibouti as violence escalates along the western coast and in areas such as Marib and Taiz. The UN Refugee Agency reported that more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee the conflict in Yemen between the Houthis and forces loyal to the internationally recognised government. [1] The agency said the rapidly escalating hostilities along Yemen’s western coast have displaced more than 100,000 people inside the country and forced thousands more to risk the dangerous journey across the Bab al-Mandeb strait to reach Djibouti in search of safety. [1]

Mass Displacement in Yemen

The UNHCR statement warned that the violence threatens to trigger a humanitarian crisis as more people are displaced, pressuring communities with limited resources. [1] The agency said it requires an estimated $14m in new funding to meet the immediate needs of displaced families inside Yemen, with additional support needed for those arriving in Djibouti. [1] Many families fled at short notice with few belongings. [1] Shelter, food, clean water, health care and protection services are among the most urgent needs, as receiving communities and displacement sites become overstretched. [1] Aisha Muhammad, a displaced woman, had to leave her five children in their village near the port city of Mocha when it was overrun by the Houthis last week. [1] “They are being blocked and shot at, so they are trapped inside their homes. They are cooking only rice, no bread, nothing else. My daughters called me saying they want to join us, but it has become too difficult,” said Muhammad. [1] Hussein Haydara, a displaced man from Hodeidah, said he was forced to escape suddenly with his family. [1] “You could barely take your children and the fewest essentials with you,” he said. [1] “We were terrified of the shelling and sniper fire, and you just flee as quickly as you can out of fear for your children and your family.” [1] UNHCR reports that more than 2,400 people made the journey across the Bab al-Mandeb strait in the past four days. [1] Most arrivals are women, children and older people. [1] “People are arriving after a difficult sea journey, many exhausted, distressed and carrying what little they could take with them,” Sandrine Desamours, UNHCR’s representative in Djibouti, said. [1] On Tuesday, 15 September, displaced people arrived at makeshift camps with few belongings, while others built shelters from wooden branches and plastic sacks. [5] The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said at least 125,000 people had been newly displaced across Yemen since the start of September, including tens of thousands in Taiz alone. [5]

Escalation of Hostilities

The displacement began when the Iran-aligned Houthis began a rapid advance, seizing control of the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coast to cement their grip on Bab al-Mandeb. [1] The strategic waterway is a critical maritime corridor linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and has become an alternative shipping route as the United States’ war against Iran choked the Strait of Hormuz. [1] The renewed fighting has ended a ceasefire that had largely halted the civil war since 2022. [5] The World Health Organization and other UN agencies said more than 500 people were killed in the past week, compared with nearly 200 the week before, while OCHA reported 40 civilian casualties verified between 1 and 14 September, including eight killed. [5] Taiz has received most of the newly displaced, adding pressure to an already severe humanitarian crisis. [5] Aid efforts are being hampered by damaged roads, restricted access and a lack of funding. [5] The conflicting claims come as fighting between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthis has escalated along Yemen’s western coast and in Marib. [3] The Houthis have increased missile and drone attacks against Saudi territory and military positions, while the Saudi-led coalition has responded with airstrikes targeting Houthi infrastructure and launch sites. [3] The war in Yemen, which began in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, has evolved into one of the Middle East’s longest-running conflicts. [3]

Houthi and Saudi Claims

Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed Tuesday that it shot down a Saudi Arabian F-15 fighter jet over Marib province, while Saudi Arabia’s military coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone that was heading toward the airspace around Mecca. [3] Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Saudi fighter was targeted and brought down during operations over Marib, a strategically important province in northern Yemen where fighting between Houthi forces and the internationally recognized Yemeni government has intensified in recent weeks. [3] Saree did not provide evidence to support the claim, and the Houthis have previously announced the downing of Saudi military aircraft during the conflict. [3] Saudi authorities have not confirmed or denied the claim. [3] As of Wednesday, there has been no official statement from the Saudi Ministry of Defense regarding the alleged loss of an F-15 aircraft or the condition of its pilot. [3] In a separate announcement, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone that was flying toward the Mecca region. [3] Coalition officials described the drone as a threat to civilians and said it was neutralized before entering the city’s airspace. [3] The coalition said the attempted drone attack represented the second effort by the Houthis to threaten Mecca since a missile attack in 2017, calling the security of Islam’s holiest city a “red line” that would be defended at all costs. [3] Houthi officials rejected the accusation. [3] Hazam al-Asad, a member of the group’s political bureau, said claims that the Houthis had targeted Mecca were “a disgusting lie” that had been repeated before and was intended to mislead public opinion. [3] He insisted the group does not threaten Islamic holy sites. [3] Yemen's Houthis claimed to have downed an F-15 fighter jet belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force over Yemen's Marib Governorate, the terror group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed on Wednesday. [4] “The fighter jet was downed using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile (SAM),” Saree claimed. [4] Saree did not specify when the alleged incident occured, but opened his statement claiming that RSAF jets had conducted “over 450 airstrikes” so far this week. [4] The spokesperson also claimed that the Iran-backed group was able to repel two formations of RSAF F-15s and Typhoon fighter jets searching for the alleged wreckage using the same locally manufactured SAMs. [4] Saree also denied that the terror group targeted Mecca in a drone strike. [4] “The fabrications and lies...cannot deceive anyone,” he said, adding that “there is no threat whatsoever from Yemen to the holy sites [Mecca and Medina].” [4] “Our operations target their oil facilities and military bases, and are far removed from the holy places,” he claimed. [4]

Strait of Hormuz Disruptions

On Monday, only four ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz; before the war, roughly 125 made the crossing each day. [2] That same day, a Panama-flagged tanker, the El Gaia, was ablaze off the coast. [2] Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed it had struck mines in a prohibited zone. [2] US Central Command countered that the vessel had been hit by an Iranian missile weeks earlier, then struck again by a drone over the weekend. [2] An hour before a regional meeting in Salalah was to settle shipping-lane disputes, Oman called it off — the sides could not agree. [2] The dueling accounts of what happened to the El Gaia say a great deal about the state of negotiations. [2] The parties cannot even agree on what is happening in the strait, let alone who will control it once the shooting stops. [2] Part of the problem is that Hormuz is now the subject of three separate, uncoordinated negotiations — none of which lead to what the world economy actually needs: a tanker passing through on an ordinary day without an escort or anyone’s permission. [2]

Humanitarian Needs and Funding

The UNHCR statement warned that the violence threatens to trigger a humanitarian crisis, as more people are displaced, pressuring communities with limited resources. [1] The agency said it requires an estimated $14m in new funding to meet the immediate needs of displaced families inside Yemen, with additional support needed for those arriving in Djibouti. [1] More than 65,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers inside Yemen, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia, are also facing risks due to the fighting. [1] “Many families fled at short notice with few belongings. Shelter, food, clean water, health care and protection services are among the most urgent needs, as receiving communities and displacement sites become overstretched,” the statement reads. [1]

Regional Security Concerns in Most Dangerous Countries

The strategic waterway is a critical maritime corridor linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and has become an alternative shipping route as the United States’ war against Iran choked the Strait of Hormuz. [1] The displacement began when the Iran-aligned Houthis began a rapid advance, seizing control of the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coast to cement their grip on Bab al-Mandeb. [1] The war in Yemen, which began in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, has evolved into one of the Middle East’s longest-running conflicts. [3] Despite periods of reduced violence and international mediation efforts, hostilities have intensified again in recent weeks, raising concerns about regional security and the potential disruption of maritime routes in the Red Sea. [3]

What to watch next: The three separate negotiation tracks over the Strait of Hormuz remain uncoordinated, with Oman’s proposed fee structure and mine-clearance efforts still pending agreement while Gulf producers continue developing bypass pipelines.