Renewed fighting in Yemen threatens to trigger a fresh wave of displacement, with the United Nations warning on Tuesday that the number of refugees escaping across the Red Sea to Djibouti could reach 10,000 in the coming months. Internal displacement within Yemen could also swell to over 230,000 people.
In Djibouti, newly arrived Yemeni refugees are already lining up for basic supplies as the small African nation scrambles to deliver aid. However, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported that its humanitarian operations in Djibouti are currently only 15 percent funded, even as preparations begin for an anticipated influx of arrivals.
Since the beginning of September, approximately 3,000 Yemenis have undertaken the perilous Red Sea journey to escape refreshed clashes in their homeland. The UNHCR projects this figure could hit 10,000 next month as treacherous sea conditions subside. To maintain critical life-saving services, the agency is seeking over $13 million in emergency funding.
Inside Yemen, the advance of Houthi fighters along the coastline has already uprooted more than 130,000 individuals. UN officials caution that internal displacement could rise past 230,000, adding to the roughly 5.2 million Yemenis already displaced by years of ongoing warfare.
Relief efforts remain severely constrained by a lack of financial resources. The UNHCR stated that it urgently requires $25 million to deliver necessary aid to the tens of thousands who have been forced to flee their homes.
