At least 18,500 people have been displaced in parts of Taiz, Al-Hodeidah and western Yemen since Sept. 3 as renewed hostilities force families to flee their homes, the International Organisation for Migration said Monday.
The latest fighting has created a new wave of displacements along Yemen’s western coast and in parts of Taiz and Al-Hodeidah, said the IOM. Many of those forced out had already been displaced by earlier bouts of fighting.
“Families are arriving with nothing: no shelter, no food, no way to know if it’s safe to go back,” said Abdusattor Esoev, chief of mission for IOM Yemen.
“Many of these are people who have already been displaced once, twice, even four times before,” he said.
The renewed violence has compounded the already deep humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with displaced communities without shelter, food and other basic supplies.
The latest clashes come as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and forces backing the internationally recognised government engage in a wider escalation. Violence has surged in western Yemen, including areas around the strategically important Red Sea coast.
Humanitarian needs were growing rapidly as families kept fleeing areas affected by the fighting, the IOM said.
