The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) announced Tuesday that more than 250,000 people have been internally displaced in Yemen since August, following the resumption of hostilities between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels.
UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva that the organization is "deeply concerned about the worsening displacement situation in Yemen, with the number of displaced people now exceeding 250,000," explaining that these individuals "were displaced within Yemen between August 1 and October 17."
The country plunged back into war in July after years of relative calm, following its involvement in the regional conflict that erupted in late February after the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Saltmarsh said that Taiz governorate in western Yemen is a "major concern," being "the main source of displacement, accounting for 76% of displacement cases and hosting 52% of newly displaced people."
The UNHCR says it is providing emergency cash assistance and increasing its support for emergency shelter, and is working with its partners to provide shelter and basic necessities for newly displaced families.
However, Saltmarsh stressed that "access difficulties to the affected areas continue to impede humanitarian operations and movement," particularly to and from the Kharaz camp in Lahj governorate (south), which shelters some 10,000 people.
He noted that more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from Somalia and Ethiopia, remain in Yemen and "are among the most affected by the renewed conflict."
As for refugees outside Yemen, the UNHCR counted 4,078 refugees as of October 17, including 3,836 in Djibouti and 242 in Somalia. No new arrivals from Yemen were recorded in Djibouti between October 8 and 14.
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