More than 230,000 displaced by fighting in Yemen since August, UN says

More than 230,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Yemen since the start of August, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Thursday, citing figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Clashes between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized government continue to drive people from their homes and put additional pressure on humanitarian operations, Haq said, referring to warnings from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Despite the challenges, humanitarian partners have reached more than 152,000 people with emergency assistance, he added.

Haq called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and ensure safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, including safe passage for supplies, patients, ambulances and medical teams.

Yemen has been in conflict since the Houthis seized the national capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

The current escalation began in July, following a period of relative calm after a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.