Renewed clashes between government forces and Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are causing thousands of families to leave their homes and increasing humanitarian needs in the country.
According to United Nations (UN) data, approximately 313 thousand people have been displaced since the beginning of August, while 69 civilians lost their lives and 212 civilians were injured in the conflicts. More than one third of the civilians who lost their lives and were injured were children.
While the conflicts intensify especially in Taiz and its surroundings in the southwest of the country, a significant portion of the displaced have difficulty accessing shelter, food and health services. It was reported that government forces in Taiz and neighboring Lahij provinces targeted the positions stated to belong to the Houthis, and the attack of the Houthis was repelled on the al-Akrud front in the south of Taiz.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that approximately 313 thousand people have left their homes due to conflicts since the beginning of August.
Taiz province witnessed approximately 40 percent of the displacement cases recorded during this period. The need for shelter and humanitarian aid has also increased in regions where conflicts intensified.
The UN Human Rights Office announced that 69 civilians have lost their lives and 212 civilians have been injured in conflicts since the beginning of August. It was stated that more than one third of the civilians who lost their lives and were injured were children.
The UN and humanitarian organizations are trying to deliver ready-made food, hygiene supplies and emergency aid to families affected by the conflict. However, security problems and disruptions in transportation routes make aid efforts difficult.
OCHA called on the parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, comply with international humanitarian law and allow the safe, uninterrupted and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.
The war, economic collapse and disruptions in basic services that have been going on for years in Yemen are also deepening the food crisis.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) announced on October 2 that 18.3 million people across Yemen face acute food insecurity. According to the organization's data, 2.2 million children under the age of 5 are malnourished. Approximately 500 thousand of these children suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
According to the analysis conducted by WFP in the regions it has access to, 74 percent of households cannot meet their basic food needs. Conflicts, rising food prices and difficulties in delivering aid further aggravate the living conditions of displaced families.
Conflicts and disruptions in transportation routes in Yemen make it difficult to maintain health services.
According to UNICEF's assessment dated October 11, 98 health facilities in Taiz province, where conflicts intensified, are partially functioning or not functioning at all. In Lahij province, 85 schools were closed due to clashes.
The inability of health facilities to provide services makes it difficult for children and other groups in need of basic health services to access treatment.
An emergency vaccination campaign covering approximately 1 million children in 11 provinces was launched in Yemen to provide protection against measles and rubella.
The campaign, carried out by the Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population with the support of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), is planned to last 6 days.
According to UNICEF's statement, 2,291 fixed and mobile vaccination teams are working in the campaign covering children between 6 months and 5 years old. The campaign aims to protect children against diseases and prevent the spread of epidemics.
Clashes between government forces and the Houthis in Yemen began after the Houthis captured the capital Sanaa and some provinces in September 2014. The conflicts gained a regional dimension in March 2015, when the coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened to support the government recognized by the international community.
The ceasefire, which started in April 2022 under the mediation of the UN, ended in October the same year. Although there was relative calm in the country after the ceasefire, a political solution could not be achieved. The conflicts, which escalated again in July, threatened the security of civilians and aggravated the humanitarian crisis that had been going on for years.
According to the UN's 2026 assessments, more than 21 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance.
Ongoing conflicts in the country, poverty, hunger, inadequate health services and forced migration continue to make the living conditions of millions of Yemenis difficult.
