The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) predicted on Tuesday that the number of internally displaced people in Yemen, due to renewed fighting between the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces, will rise from 130,000 to approximately 230,000 in the coming months.
UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch, speaking at a press conference in Geneva, estimated that the number of refugees crossing into Djibouti via the Red Sea would increase from 3,000 to 10,000 during the same period, emphasizing the urgent need to provide humanitarian assistance to both the displaced and the refugees.
Following a rapid and widespread offensive this month, the Houthis expanded their control, seizing the entire western coastline up to Bab al-Mandab, the strategic strait connecting the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and thus Asia to Europe.
Baloch warned that if the fighting intensifies, it will lead to further mass displacement.
More than 3,000 refugees arrived in Djibouti by sea within a week of the fighting, and the UNHCR estimated that the number would rise significantly, especially after mid-October, as improved weather conditions would facilitate sea crossings.
Baloch confirmed that the UNHCR is "developing plans with its partners to receive more than 10,000 arrivals in Djibouti" in the coming months.
Meanwhile, he added that the number of internally displaced people in Yemen could rise from more than 130,000 currently to more than 230,000.
Before the renewed fighting, more than 5.2 million people had already been forced to flee their homes in Yemen.
Baloch warned that the renewed fighting is exacerbating the crisis, at a time when an estimated 22 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance.
He pointed out that a severe funding shortfall is hindering the UNHCR's response to the emergency, as only 18 percent of the required funds for its operations in Yemen have been secured.
The UNHCR says it urgently needs $25 million to provide immediate assistance to some 231,000 people.
In Djibouti, the organization has received only 15 percent of the required funding, prompting it to launch an appeal for $13.5 million to ensure the "registration, reception, protection, and other essential services for arrivals."
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