Over 46,000 Displaced as Yemen Fighting Escalates, UN Agency Warns

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) warns that displacement figures are rising ‘by the hour’ as it calls for safe humanitarian access.

Published On 11 Sep 202611 Sep 2026

According to United Nations data, more than 46,000 individuals have been forced to flee their homes in Yemen following the latest surge in hostilities between Houthi rebels and government forces.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) stated in a Friday announcement that this displacement figure is continuing to climb “by the hour” as the conflict intensifies.

The UN agency has urgently appealed to all parties involved in the conflict to ensure safe humanitarian access and to protect civilians, aid workers, and vital humanitarian assets on the ground.

“Families are being forced to flee for the second or third time in this conflict, left with virtually nothing,” stated Amy Pope, Director General of the IOM.

The agency reported that numerous residents fled the coastal city of Mocha overnight, taking whatever belongings they could carry, after Iran-aligned Houthi rebels seized the strategically vital Red Sea port from the internationally recognized government on Thursday.

Entire villages have reportedly been abandoned in parts of the war-torn nation. The IOM once again urged all combatants to guarantee unimpeded humanitarian access and ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel.

This statement was released as reports emerged on Friday indicating that the Houthis had captured a strategically positioned island in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, thereby securing control over Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline.

‘Two new crises’

In a separate development on Friday, the United Nations expressed deep concern regarding the Houthis’ seizure of a key humanitarian compound and its assets in Mocha, emphasizing that humanitarian personnel and facilities must be protected at all times.

“The compound houses staff of UN agencies dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities in the region,” UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

Haq confirmed that all UN personnel stationed at the compound had evacuated prior to the seizure and are currently “safe and accounted for”.

He stressed that humanitarian personnel, premises, and assets must be fully respected and protected at all times, while calling for safe and unimpeded access to ensure life-saving assistance reaches those in desperate need.

Farea Al-Muslimi, a Yemen researcher at the London-based Chatham House thinktank, told Al Jazeera that the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Yemen will further exacerbate what is already one of the world’s most severe crises.

“Yemen was already experiencing one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world,” Al-Muslimi noted.

“The situation deteriorated significantly after the Houthis intensified crackdowns on aid organizations in northern Yemen. Despite the fragile truce, the ongoing conflict has devastated the remaining economy, leaving millions of families without any source of income,” he explained.

Al-Muslimi warned that the latest escalation will generate two new crises: further internal displacement—already affecting over 10,000 families in the past week alone—and skyrocketing commodity prices within Yemen.

“Since this conflict is occurring along a vital maritime trade corridor, it is bound to fuel further violence both within and beyond Yemen’s borders,” Al-Muslimi added.

“The Yemeni population will continue to bear the brunt of this suffering, more than any other group, whether inside or outside the country.”

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