Geneva, Sept. 14 (SANA) More than 85,000 people have been displaced in Yemen as fighting intensifies along the western coast and in southern Taiz, while more than 2,000 people fleeing the fighting have reached Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.
The IOM said data from its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) showed that displacement had reached 85,818 people, including 82,164 displaced since the beginning of September, as clashes continue to force families from their homes, with some fleeing the country.
More than 2,000 people escaping the fighting have reached Djibouti’s northern coast through arrival points near Obock, where Djiboutian authorities are leading the response with support from the IOM and United Nations partners.
The arrivals, including women and children, have been transferred to the Markazi site in Obock to receive humanitarian assistance, including water, high-energy biscuits and hot meals. The IOM warned that displacement could increase if fighting continues to escalate.
“Behind every number is a family who has lost everything,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said, adding that many families have been displaced multiple times and that some people are crossing the sea after losing their means of survival.
The IOM said displacement is concentrated mainly along Yemen’s western coast and southern Taiz frontlines, where 9,280 families, or nearly 56,000 people, have fled areas including Jabal Habashy, Al Ma’afer, Maqbanah, Mawza and Al Wazi’iyah.
In Lahj province, 3,225 families, or more than 19,000 people, were displaced, mostly from Al-Mudharibah district, while Hodeidah recorded the displacement of 1,374 families, or more than 8,000 people, mainly from Hays district.
The organization said many families have been forced to flee for a second or third time during years of conflict, while continued fighting and communication disruptions are making it more difficult to reach affected communities and assess humanitarian needs.
The IOM called for safe and unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of civilians, aid workers, supplies, vehicles and facilities used in relief operations, and said it would continue monitoring displacement movements and issuing updates.
N.J/MF
