Yemen displacement crisis worsens as Houthi offensive drives 76,000 from homes since July

GENEVA (AFP) -- At least 76,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since July, with the number quadrupling in the past week as fighting flared between government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the United Nations said Saturday.

"The International Organization for Migration is warning of a rapidly worsening displacement crisis in Yemen unfolding by the hour," the UN agency said in a statement.

The Houthis, who have for years controlled large parts of northern Yemen, launched a large-scale offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, scoring one victory after another in fighting that has left hundreds dead.

Since the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in July, "at least 76,000 people have fled their homes," IOM said.

"That's four times last week's total, as fighting intensifies," it said, warning that "entire families are on the move, often at night. They have nowhere safe to go."

More than 70,000 of those displaced had fled just since the start of September, an agency spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.

The announcement came just a day after the agency put the number at 46,000 displacements since the start of the month, up from 18,500 announced Tuesday.

The Houthis on Friday captured Yemen's Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi Arabian oil exports as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Iran war.

The displacements had happened across the west coast and Taiz areas, the IOM said.

Taiz was the hardest-hit, it said, with some 8,300 households, or nearly 50,000 people, displaced from districts in that province alone.

Many of the families on the move had been displaced before, and some multiple times over Yemen's 12-year conflict, IOM pointed out.

"They are exhausted. Their resources are gone. Most fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs," it said.

IOM teams on the ground were distributing emergency supplies, including shelter materials and hygiene kits, it said, warning though that "needs are far outpacing what we can deliver."

"The situation is deteriorating by the day. Displacement figures are expected to rise further in the coming days."