DJIBOUTI, September 15 — More than 2,000 people fleeing Houthi rebels in Yemen have arrived in Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration said, after the Iran-backed Houthis captured a key port city on Yemen’s western coast and an island in the Bab el-Mandeb strait last week. The strait, between Yemen and Djibouti, is a vital shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz and a chokepoint for global shipping, with millions of barrels of oil passing through daily. Some of those fleeing crossed roughly 30 kilometers of water to reach Djibouti.
Authorities in Djibouti say the country’s navy, coast guard and other agencies are conducting rescue operations in the strait and providing emergency assistance.
A second displacement, this time sudden
Hussein Haydara, displaced from Hodeidah, described the flight. “This is the second time in my life that I’ve been displaced,” he said. “During the previous displacement, we had planned and prepared for it.
This time, we were forced to flee suddenly. You could barely take your children and the fewest essentials with you.
We were terrified of the shelling and sniper fire, and you just flee as quickly as you can out of fear for your children and your family members.” The IOM says the number of those displaced in Yemen has reached nearly 86,000 people, with over 82,000 since the beginning of September alone.
A ceasefire undone
The recent escalation in fighting has ended a 2022 ceasefire that had largely stopped the country’s devastating civil war. That ceasefire, brokered by the United Nations, had significantly reduced fighting. The Houthis, who have controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014, are a Zaidi Shia movement that has been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.
The capture of the port city and island marks a major escalation. Fearing a return to civil war, tens of thousands of residents fled the area.
The IOM has been providing assistance to displaced people in Yemen and Djibouti. The situation remains fluid, with rescue operations ongoing.
