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More than 250,000 people were displaced in Yemen between August 1 and October 17 as hostilities intensified across the country, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Tuesday, according to Anadolu Agency.
The figure is up from nearly 213,000 reported previously. Taiz remains at the center of the displacement crisis, accounting for 76% of departures and hosting 52% of people newly displaced.
In southwestern Yemen, Lahj hosts 23% of the newly displaced population, followed by Aden in the south, with 13%, UNHCR said.
“Shelling intensified in Taiz, including in residential areas and around health facilities, while insecurity and restrictions along key routes continue to constrain humanitarian access and movement,” the agency said in a statement.
“In Aden, strikes were reported, including near key civilian infrastructure,” it added.
Displaced families need shelter assistance
By October 17, UNHCR and its partners had assessed 12,283 displaced households across Abyan, Aden, Marib, Lahj and Taiz. Around 2,050 families were without shelter.
Shelter partners have reached 3,166 households, but around 33,700 families still need shelter assistance amid severe underfunding of the wider humanitarian response, UNHCR said.
Security concerns affect camp operations
Schools in Kharaz refugee camp in Lahj, which hosts 9,490 refugees, closed again on October 11 as the security situation deteriorated. Restrictions on access continued to affect humanitarian operations and movement to and from the camp, UNHCR said.
Yemen has been in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces in September 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
The Houthis control much of northern and western Yemen, while government forces and their allies hold Aden and large parts of the country’s southern and eastern provinces.
