More than 201,000 people have been forced from their homes in Yemen since the resumption of fighting, according to data released on Wednesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM warns that the number of displaced people is rising every day, as are humanitarian needs. At the same time, resources to help those most in need are alarmingly running out.
"People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go," said IOM Director General Amy Pope in a statement.
"They need a roof, food, and safety today. Our teams are on the ground, but the funding is not. I am asking donors to act now, because every day of delay costs lives. Yemen must not become a forgotten crisis. The world has the means to help. It must use them now."
The speed of this unfolding crisis is alarming. In mid-September, the IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) recorded 76,000 newly displaced people. By the end of the month, this figure had risen to over 145,000. Today, this figure stands at 201,217. Nearly all of them have fled since September 1st.
According to DTM, displacement now affects ten governorates. Taiz is the worst affected governorate, with 114,708 displaced people—57 percent of the total. Lahj follows with 42,264 people displaced, followed by Aden with 20,814, Abyan with 9,030, and Al Hodeidah with 8,244. Smaller numbers have been recorded in Hadramawt (2,478), Shabwah (1,188), Marib (1,080), Mahra (936), and Ad Dali (475).
Meanwhile, more than 3,700 people have fled by sea to Djibouti.
“They arrive exhausted, in overcrowded boats, with little food or water. Families are leaving with almost nothing. Many flee at night, carrying what they can. Most are women and children,” IOM said.
Needs are growing far faster than the resources available to meet them
Many of the displaced have been forced to move more than once and lack even the basics for survival. Families are cramming into makeshift shelters or staying with relatives and neighbors. Host communities are sharing what little they have.
"Every day our teams meet families who have lost everything," Pope said.
"We know what they need. We know how to deliver it. What we lack is the means to reach them all."
IOM teams who speak with displaced families daily report that shelter is the most urgent need, cited by 35 percent of respondents. This is followed by food at 33 percent and cash support at 22 percent. One in ten of those displaced says protection is what they need most.
The UN and its humanitarian partner organizations have provided life-saving assistance to more than 126,000 people, but the demand continues to exceed the available resources as relief supplies are running low and the response is severely underfunded.
This year's US$2.2 billion humanitarian appeal for Yemen has only received 22 percent of its funding, with $477 million received thus far.
IOM called on the international community to provide immediate funding so that humanitarian organizations can save lives in Yemen. The UN organization also urged all parties involved in the conflict to protect civilians and aid workers and allow safe and unhindered access to those in need.
On Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is growing "more dire by the day" as civilians continue to flee the ongoing conflict.
According to OCHA, key roads connecting the Taiz governorate with the cities of Al Makha, Al Hodeidah, Aden, and Sanaa remain blocked. This severely restricts the movement of civilians, commercial supplies, and humanitarian access. There are reports of shortages of essential commodities and medical supplies, with sharp increases in food and fuel prices, and growing concerns over the availability of flour, cooking gas, and medicines.
At the same time, the UN remains alarmed by reports of civilian casualties and damage to civilian property, as well as the heightened risk of explosive hazards, which further constrain humanitarian access and the safe movement of civilians. OCHA continues to assess the humanitarian impact.
As of October 2, the Ministry of Health and Population has reported more than 5,100 total casualties across 10 governorates in Yemen, including over 950 deaths and 4,200 injuries.
Casualties among civilians continue to rise, with children bearing the brunt of the violence. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has verified that at least 46 civilians, including 24 children, have been killed since August. Additionally, more than 130 others have been injured, including 84 women and children.
The health situation is also worsening.
WHO sounds alarm on critical funding gap for health response
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of major funding shortfalls, as rising displacement, disease outbreaks, and conflict are putting more pressure on an already fragile health system. WHO's immediate funding requirements have more than tripled, rising from $9 million to $31 million. Additional funding is also needed for the refugee response in Djibouti.
“The situation is evolving into a complex emergency, with health needs rising as resources are already severely stretched,” said Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative in Yemen.
“For people with severe injuries, access to trauma care within the first hour can determine whether they survive.”
However, trauma stabilization points on the Lahj coast and in Al-Dhale have no aid agencies to operate them.
“Few agencies are able to provide trauma care, leaving critical gaps along the front lines,” Hussain added.
Health services are struggling to keep pace with growing needs. Roughly half of the health facilities in the affected Yemeni governorates have no support, and critical gaps remain in front-line trauma care and mobile health services.
According to WHO, displaced families are among those most affected. However, as of last week, less than one percent of them had received health services, leaving many households in Taiz and Lahj without adequate assistance.
The UN organization warns that the current funding shortfall is already having direct consequences. Hospitals are facing shortages of surgical supplies, anesthetics, blood bank consumables, and fuel. Meanwhile, routes for delivering essential supplies are becoming slower and more costly.
Disease outbreaks are adding to the complexity of the emergency. Cholera cases have tripled in recent weeks, including in displacement camps, while measles, dengue, and malaria continue to spread.
Malnutrition is also a growing concern among displaced children. Recent screenings by mobile teams have identified high levels of moderate and severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Yemen’s children were already facing horrific conditions, as the country experiences one of the worst nutrition crises in the world. Even before the current escalation, it was projected that more than 2.2 million children under the age of five in Yemen would be acutely malnourished this year, with more than half a million suffering from SAM.
At least 22 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian aid
The military escalation comes at a time when hunger, malnutrition, loss of resilience, and collapsing funds for humanitarian assistance have already pushed millions of Yemenis deeper into the crisis. An estimated 22.3 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance at the start of this year.
Currently, over half of the total population, or approximately 18 million people, are experiencing severe food insecurity. Urgent healthcare is required by an estimated 19.3 million people. Years of declining funding have left healthcare facilities with limited capacity to handle a new wave of conflict.
Yemen's ongoing emergency is set against the backdrop of continued fragmentation and conflict among multiple factions. These factions include the Houthi rebels, who control the capital city of Sanaa and large areas in the north and west; the internationally recognized government, which is based in Aden; and various armed groups that control different parts of the country.
The unresolved conflict and climate-related disasters have forced millions of people from their homes. Yemen is experiencing the world's fifth-largest internal displacement crisis, with over 5 million people displaced within the country.
After enduring more than a decade of conflict, Yemen is now teetering on the brink of sustained, large-scale fighting, which will severely impact civilians and further complicate the already arduous path toward a political settlement.