UN warns of rising Yemen displacement as thousands flee to Djibouti 

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.

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.

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”.