Taiz camps overflow with Yemenis fleeing fighting after Houthi offensive

Taiz, Yemen – Hajja Fatima Mohammed Saleh, a 70-year-old Yemeni woman, illustrates the scale of displacement among thousand-tonne crowds fleeing Taiz governorate, southwest Yemen, in recent conflict between government forces and the Houthis.

The Iran-backed rebel organization, also known as Ansar Allah (partisans of God), currently commands the majority of Yemenian territory, including the capital, Sanaa.

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Saleh’s village in Maqbanah district, bordering Yemen’s western coastline, sits at the center of last week’s Houthi assault in which the group secured the entirety of the Red Sea coastline, including the port city of Mocha.

Approximately 100,000 inhabitants have now abandoned their hometowns following renewed hostilities between opposing factions, according to the United Nations refugee agency, many exiting with minimal belongings because of the speed of Houthi advances.

Saleh explained that she left her wheelchair behind, noting it proved unsuitable for traversing the rugged terrain her family faced when locating shelter.

“The assault was monumental; we had never encountered anything comparable before. Explosive fragments rained heavily upon the hamlet, and projectiles flew in every direction,” she discussed with Al Jazeera.

“We had no alternative but to disperse and seek safety. Everyone departed with virtually nothing remaining due to the Houthi offensive’s velocity.”

Emotional tensions have deepened as fighting expands across multiple fronts in Yemen, with government forces launching aerial assaults on Houthi positions in an effort to reclaim Mocha, a strategically vital port that the rebels seized shortly thereafter, further consolidating their hold over the critical Red Sea corridor.

This maneuver has elevated Bab al-Mandeb Strait—the maritime passage linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and broader Indian Ocean—to the forefront of conflict between the United States and Iran, multiplying pressure on worldwide trade arteries.

Yemen’s protracted ten‑year civil war escalated in July, threatening to revive a United Nations‑brokered ceasefire that had curbed widespread warfare in 2022, triggered by Houthi-imposed maritime sanctions on Saudi Arabia and subsequent attacks directed at its vessels in the Red Sea.

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government have initiated campaigns against the Houthis on various fronts since the preceding week, having recaptured certain positions and advanced within the southwestern Taiz province as skirmishes intensify.

Osama al-Wafi, supervisor of the Mushrifa camp in Wadi Bikhawlan in Taiz governorate and a representative of the government’s Executive Unit in Jabal Habashi district, characterized the plight as “dire and tragic.”

“These individuals have experienced displacement along with the loss of fundamental necessities—previously residing under homes, farmland, and livestock. Now they merely seek shelter to house themselves,” al-Wafi relayed to Al Jazeera.

He reported that the influx of displaced populations arriving at the camp continues to climb, with more than 1,500 families integrating over the previous halfweek, the majority enduring exposure lacking adequate shelter due to resource scarcity.

The clashes have widened to multiple sectors of Yemen, as government forces have directed air strikes on Houthi strongholds in an attempt to recapture Mocha, a move designed to tighten Houthi control over the Red Seabord—a crucial commercial waterway.

Consequently, Bab al-Mandeb Strait now occupies a pivotal role at the heart of the theater between Washington and Tehran, adding considerable strain to global shipping routes.

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The village of Saleh’s home lies in the Maqbanah district near the western coast, serving as the focal point of last week’s Houthi operation that resulted in the takeover of the Red Sea shoreline, including the port of Mocha.

Approximately one hundred thousand people have since vacated their settlements following renewed confrontations between state and insurgent forces, with the vast majority departing bearing minimal property in light of the Houthi offensive’s swift progression.

Saleh stated that relocating her mobility device was impossible given the challenging terrain her entourage traversed when searching for safe havens.

“The invasion was colossal; we had never observed anything equivalent prior. Shrapnel fell relentlessly upon the settlement, and projectiles streaked in every direction,” she told Al Jazeera.

“There was no possibility to stay; we were compelled to retreat toward security. Every possession was surrendered, and we trekked lengthy distances upon our feet. For me personally, the situation was particularly dire because disability prevents walking, forcing me to crawl—using both hands—for extensive stretches through rain and flooding before securing transportation.”

UN entities and the internationally recognized Yemeni administration report that Taiz governorate has borne the brunt of displacements, with Taiz City slated as a forthcoming target after their coastal triumph. This trajectory threatens to deteriorate the humanitarian landscape further.

Ali al‑Shumairi, head of the Executive Unit for Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Taiz governorship, informed Al Jazeera that 65,845 individuals became internally displaced between August 10 and September 15. Nearly 95 per cent of those evacuees originate from the five districts that endured the severest battles: Jabal Habashi, al‑Maafer, Maqbana, al‑Wazi’iyah, and Mowza.

Throughout the unrest, the IDP facilities in Taiz have absorbed heavy influxes, underscoring the urgency of emergency response measures.

Military operations have proliferated across several fronts as government troops have conducted aerial bombardments against Houthi enclaves in pursuit of regaining Mocha, which the rebels captured mere days earlier to stretch their dominance over the Red Sea basin.

Consequently, the Bab al‑Mandeb channel—linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indo‑Pacific—has become a linchpin of competition between the United States and Iran, mounting unprecedented pressure on trans‑oceanic commerce.

The decade‑long Syrian‑style war in Yemen resurfaced in July, jeopardizing a United Nations‑mediated truce ending broad-based violence in 2022, catalyzed by Houthi imposition of naval blockades on Saudi Arabia and persistent missile confrontations against regional vessels within the Red Sea.

Since early last month, forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized interim authority have mounted multi‑front offensives targeting Houthi positions, achieving portions of terrain recovery and pushing forward within Taiz province as hostilities remain brutal.

Osama al‑Wafi, a camp supervisor based at Mushrifa within Wadi Bikhawlan in Taiz governorate and a liaison for the government’s Executive Unit in Jabal Habashi, characterised the emergency as “dire and tragic”.

“These citizens have been uprooted and stripped of core survival basics—homes, agricultural land, and livestock. At present they depend solely on seeking temporary accommodation,” al‑Wafi remarked to Al Jazeera.

Audit reveals surges in arrivals exceeding sixty thousand displaced households over the previous six days, most occupants enduring open‑air confinement owing to insufficient shelter infrastructure.

Hajj Saif Qaed Thabet, aged 73, resides now in an unprotected exterior setting with his spouse and four offspring after reaching al‑Munij refuge on September 10. Originally from al‑Kadaha in western Taiz, the family endured shelling and aircraft fire while traversing hazardous pathways.

“Our displacement stemmed entirely from the armed conflict—fleeing blasts and artillery shells constantly piercing our vicinity,” Thabet confided. “From arrival onward, we have lived under unimpaired conditions, awaiting resolution for our well‑being and secure lodging.”

“May God bless us in all affairs,” the elder concluded, expressing gratitude for divine provision despite his prolonged uncertainty.

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