SANAA, October 8 — Intense fighting in Yemen has forced more than 184,000 people from their homes since the start of August, most of them since early September, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In the week to 3 October alone, IOM recorded nearly 21,800 people displaced at least once, a 26 per cent increase from the previous week. A further 6,474 people were displaced on 4 October.
All displaced individuals are in need of food, shelter, and other basic humanitarian aid. IOM Director General Amy Pope stated that as the conflict intensifies, more people are thrown into an appalling cycle of displacement, living in fear of their lives with uncertain futures, and called on the international community to do more to secure humanitarian access.
An IOM assessment at three displacement sites in Ma’rib last week found that lack of safe shelter was the most critical concern, with some families sleeping in the open, exposing them to violence and the effects of conflict, including airstrikes. Women and girls reported shortages of appropriate latrines. Approximately 45 per cent of households assessed had been displaced before and had lost assets and livelihoods, leaving them less able to cope and at risk of turning to harmful strategies such as child labour.
IOM is working with local authorities and partners to provide emergency shelter, household items, cash, clean water, sanitation, and protection services. With the situation volatile, further displacement is possible in the coming days.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported more than 5,100 casualties since 6 August, including 959 deaths, according to its latest situation report. Cholera cases have tripled in as many weeks and measles is spreading, while teams face challenges reaching the injured during the so-called ‘golden hour’, the critical period after a traumatic injury when treatment matters most.
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday welcomed the release of one of its staff members who had been arbitrarily detained in Yemen, saying it was relieved he had been reunited with his family. WFP said it stood in solidarity with the 72 UN personnel and five former UN personnel who remain detained, and joined the UN Secretary-General in calling for the release of all detained UN staff and other humanitarian workers.
The agency said it supported constructive dialogue with the Houthi de facto authorities to build on the release and secure further releases. Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, Farhan Haq, welcomed the staffer’s release and said: ‘The Secretary-General has called for the release of all detained UN personnel and other humanitarian personnel in Yemen.’ During his briefing he said that the UN will continue to ‘pursue every possible avenue to secure their immediate and safe release, including through engagements with the Houthi de facto authorities’.
