At least 100,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen’s Taiz governorate after renewed fighting between government forces and the Houthis, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. Many left with few belongings as the offensive spread rapidly across the southwest governorate.
The displacement followed a Houthi assault that captured Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the port city of Mocha. UN agencies and Yemen’s internationally recognised government say Taiz has seen most of the recent displacement, while officials warn the humanitarian situation could worsen if fighting reaches Taiz City.
Families arrive with little shelter or water
Ali al-Wafi, a supervisor at the Mushrifa camp, described conditions there as dire and tragic. He said newly displaced families had lost homes, farms and livestock, and that most of the arrivals were living in the open because shelter was unavailable. Related coverage: Houthi attacks shut Yemen’s al-Makha port, disrupting work and trade.
Residents of the al-Munij camp, which has sheltered people displaced by earlier fighting, reported sporadic drinking-water supplies and too few toilets. Some families are staying in exposed spaces or small tents while waiting for more suitable accommodation.
Key figures
- 65,845 people were displaced in Taiz between August 10 and September 15, according to the governorate’s Executive Unit for the Management of IDP Camps.
- About 95 percent of those displaced came from Jabal Habashi, al-Maafer, Maqbana, al-Wazi’iyah and Mawza districts.
- More than 1,500 families arrived at the Mushrifa camp during the six days before the account was provided.
- The al-Munij camp covers about two square kilometres.
The offensive has widened the risks around Taiz
Government forces have carried out air attacks on Houthi positions while attempting to retake Mocha, and forces aligned with the internationally recognised government have retaken some positions and advanced in southwestern Taiz as clashes intensify. Read the context: Houthi forces say they have seized Mocha as Yemen fighting widens.
The fighting has also increased pressure around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. The renewed conflict threatens a United Nations-brokered truce that halted large-scale violence in 2022.
Displaced people describe repeated flight
Hajja Fatima Mohammed Saleh, 70, said she left her wheelchair behind when her family fled Maqbanah district because the terrain was too rugged. She said she crawled through rain and floods before finding a vehicle.
Families arriving at the camps include people who have fled more than once. Malouk Ahmed Ali said her family of 14 first moved near its village, then escaped again after clashes expanded. She said livestock had died, fled or been looted, while the family’s other possessions were likely lost.
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