Yemen: more than 300,000 people displaced by fighting in the west of the country

More than 300,000 people have been displaced in Yemen due to intensifying clashes in the west of the country, with the vast majority of displacements having been recorded over the past two months, the UN announced on Sunday.

In a statement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) calls on “all parties (involved in this) conflict to protect civilians and humanitarian workers and ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access, particularly in hard-to-reach areas of Taiz.”

“After years of conflict, families in Yemen are once again forced to flee, often with only the clothes on their backs,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM Chief of Mission in Yemen. “They are in urgent need of shelter, food, clean water and health care. Without more funding, thousands of families risk being left without the help they desperately need,” he added. Yemen plunged back into war in July, after a four-year lull, driven by conflict in the Middle East.

Hostilities intensified in September after an offensive by pro-Iranian Houthis in the west of the country, which allowed them to strengthen their hold on the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, linking Europe to Asia via the Suez Canal. Since then, Saudi Arabia, an ally of the Yemeni government, has regularly bombed the positions of the Houthis, who responded by increasing attacks on Saudi soil. The fighting has caused prices of basic products to soar. In the western city of Taiz, the cost of essential goods has increased three to five times, due to fighting hampering supplies from neighboring areas, according to the IOM.

Five IOM mobile medical teams operate in four governorates (Marib, Lahj, Aden and Taiz). As humanitarian needs increase, IOM estimates that $45 million (€40 million) in funding will be needed over the next six months to provide lifesaving assistance, including shelter, emergency financial assistance, health care, access to drinking water, sanitation and protection of displaced populations.