OMM Redaksiyası
Nearly 16,000 people were displaced in Yemen over the past week as insecurity continued along the country’s western coast and in the south, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday.
According to the IOM, 145,308 people, or 24,218 households, have been displaced across eight governorates since fighting escalated along the western coast in June. The total increased by 15,870 people, or more than 12%, between September 21 and Monday.
“Every week, we count thousands more people who have left everything behind,” said Abdusattor Esoev, the IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen. “Behind these figures are parents trying to keep their children safe, older people who cannot travel far, and families who had very little to begin with.”
“They need help now, and our response has to move as fast as they are,” he added.
Taiz shelters more than half of displaced people
Taiz hosts the largest number of displaced people, with 81,444 residents, accounting for more than half of the national total. The figure is about 8,000 higher than a week earlier.
Lahj hosts 34,860 displaced people, followed by Aden with 12,456, Al Hudaydah with 8,244, Abyan with 5,568, Hadramout with 1,974, Marib with 750 and Al Mahrah with 12, the IOM said.
Aden recorded the sharpest weekly increase, with its displaced population rising by 3,510 people, or about 40%.
“Communities in Ta'iz, Lahj and Aden have opened their doors to people fleeing the fighting, but goodwill alone cannot cover what is needed,” Esoev said.
Displaced families urgently need shelter, food and protection, while host communities also require assistance, he added.
IOM calls for safe humanitarian access
The IOM called for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, as well as safe and unhindered access to displaced families and host communities. It warned that further displacement was likely in the coming days if conditions remained volatile.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthi group seized the capital Sanaa and several governorates in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Fighting intensified in September, with the Houthis taking control of several key areas in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz governorates, including the strategic city of Mokha, and reaching Mayyun Island overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
