Most Dangerous Countries Face New Attacks as Houthis Down Saudi Drone Over Yemen

Escalating conflicts across Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia and the Red Sea have heightened global security risks, with multiple sources highlighting attacks, famine threats and potential wider regional wars in areas often ranked among the world's most dangerous countries. Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have shot down a Saudi Wing Loong II drone over Saada province on October 13 while also launching missile and drone strikes on Saudi airports, air bases and Aramco facilities, prompting Saudi suspension of Riyadh airport operations and vows of retaliation. [1] In Sudan, severe drought combined with ongoing war in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan has driven acute malnutrition rates above famine thresholds in displacement camps, with only 26 percent of children needing severe acute malnutrition treatment having received it and less than half of the humanitarian appeal funded. [2] Eritrean forces crossed into Ethiopia’s Tigray region last week, triggering Ethiopian drone strikes, as part of a new anti-government Alliance for Survival that includes the TPLF, Fano and OLA, raising fears of a wider regional war involving Egypt, Sudan and Somalia. [3] Indonesia condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian airports and infrastructure that killed three and injured 36, urging all parties to halt strikes, protect civilians under international humanitarian law and pursue dialogue. [4] Twelve attacks on commercial ships were reported in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf in a single week, adding to maritime security threats linked to broader Middle East tensions. [5]

Houthi Attacks Escalate Against Saudi Targets

Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed that it shot down a Saudi-operated Wing Loong II drone over Saada province in northern Yemen. [1] Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, announced the alleged shootdown on Tuesday, October 13, saying the aircraft had been targeted while carrying out what he described as “hostile missions.” [1] The announcement comes amid a sharp escalation in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. [1] In recent days, the group has claimed missile and drone strikes against King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Abha International Airport and Khamis Mushait Air Base, as well as Saudi military installations and facilities operated by state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco. [1] Saudi authorities have reported casualties and damage from attacks on Riyadh’s airport, while the Saudi military has said its air defences intercepted incoming missiles. [1] The attacks have prompted Saudi Arabia to suspend operations at King Khalid International Airport and announce a response to the strikes. [1] The latest escalation has also raised concerns about civilian safety, air travel and the security of critical infrastructure in the kingdom. [1] Three people were killed and 36 injured in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on October 6 and 7, Saudi authorities said. [4] Yemen’s Houthi movement said it had launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks targeting several airports and military sites in Saudi Arabia. [4] Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said the attacks targeted Abha International Airport in the southwest and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 6 and 7. [4]

Famine Risks Surge in Sudan’s War Zones

The risk of famine is growing in parts of Sudan already torn apart by war, as a severe El Niño drought makes life even harder in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan. [2] In a new alert, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said fresh evidence shows malnutrition getting worse in several hotspots. [2] Aid is not keeping up, held back by a severe lack of funding, insecurity and restricted access. [2] In Eastern Jebel Marra, South Darfur, a survey of two camps for displaced people found acute malnutrition among children at 38 and 30.8 per cent - above the threshold for famine. [2] Across Greater Darfur, 13 of the 17 nutrition surveys carried out since January found critical levels of acute malnutrition. [2] In Nyala, the share of children seeking nutrition help who needed treatment for severe acute malnutrition more than doubled between January and August, from five to 11 per cent. [2] Drought now covers more than half of Sudan, wiping out crops in some areas and leaving families without food or income. [2] In North Darfur, 64 per cent of cropland is showing poor plant growth. [2] Rains arrived in late September, too late to save most cereal crops, the alert said, and cereal prices are very likely to keep rising. [2] Greater Kordofan has seen more than 300,000 people forced from their homes since October 2025. [2] Markets have been hit by more than 170 airstrikes, looting incidents or armed clashes this year. [2] As of August, only 26 per cent of those expected to need care for severe acute malnutrition with medical complications had received it. [2] As of 8 October, less than half of the humanitarian appeal for Sudan had been funded. [2] The IPC's Famine Review Committee said there is not enough survey data for a full analysis, but the evidence points to a rapidly worsening situation. [2]

Eritrean Incursion Risks Wider Ethiopian Conflict

The conflict in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray moved a step closer to triggering a wider conflagration last week when Eritrean forces crossed the border, and Ethiopia hit back with two days of drone strikes on the troops and equipment. [3] Eritrea denied multiple reports of the incursion, and framed Addis Ababa's condemnation as amounting to a "declaration of war" and a pretext for the landlocked country to grab the Red Sea port of Assab. [3] Local sources told The New Humanitarian that Eritrean forces took part in clashes in multiple locations over the past few days, including at Adi Hageray, about 60 kilometres from the city of Shire, in northwestern Tigray. [3] The capture on 3 October of the Tigrayan regional capital of Mekelle by the federal army and a pro-government militia, the Tigray Peace Force (TPF), is unlikely to mark the end of the conflict. [3] The political and military leadership of Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), had already withdrawn before the city fell, heading into the northern countryside pledging to continue the fight. [3] An anti-government coalition, the Alliance for Survival, emerged last month involving seven armed opposition groups. [3] These included the TPLF, Fano, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), alongside smaller insurgent groups from Benishangul-Gumuz, the Somali region's ONLF, and Uguugumo. [3] After accusing Eritrea, Egypt, and Sudan of supporting the alliance, Ethiopia this month closed the Eritrean embassy and PNGed an Egyptian diplomat. [3] Denying the allegations, the three countries joined Somalia to issue a joint declaration that crystallises a shared containment approach to Addis Ababa's perceived expansionist ambitions. [3]

International Condemnation and Maritime Threats

Indonesia has strongly condemned attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure amid a recent escalation in cross-border strikes involving Yemen’s Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia. [4] “Indonesia strongly condemns all attacks on civilians and civilian objects and stresses the need to protect civilians from armed conflict,” the Foreign Ministry said in a social media post on Tuesday. [4] Indonesia expressed concern over attacks targeting airports that have caused deaths, disrupted civil aviation and seriously threatened flight safety. [4] It also voiced concern over rising civilian casualties and the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen amid the escalation of armed conflict. [4] The ministry said Indonesia extended its deepest condolences to families of those killed and hoped the injured would recover soon. [4] Indonesia again urged all parties to halt attacks and retaliatory actions and exercise maximum restraint. [4] It called on all parties to uphold international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and ensure their actions comply with both. [4] Twelve attacks on commercial vessels were reported in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf between October 5 and 11, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warnings. [5]

Humanitarian and Security Implications in Most Dangerous Countries

The renewed fighting threatens to widen the conflict and further destabilise regional security. [1] Four years after the last war ended in 2022, about a million people remain displaced, and close to four million - more than half of Tigray's population - are in urgent need of aid. [3] There have already been warnings that this year's drought - against a background of a still shattered local economy and ongoing difficulties in delivering humanitarian supplies - could result in pockets of famine. [3] Aid workers face extreme danger. [2] Two trucks contracted by WFP came under fire on 2 and 3 October, killing at least one person. [2] Without treatment, as many as two thirds of them could die. [2] The IPC's Famine Review Committee said "Famine is the collapse of systems." [2] "We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe, already of historic proportions." [2] The alert called for an end to the fighting, safe and sustained access for aid agencies - especially in North and West Kordofan - and flexible funding on a large scale. [2]

What to watch next: The IPC alert called for an end to the fighting and safe access for aid agencies, while Indonesia urged all parties to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy to ease tensions.