UN Warns Yemen Displacement Could Surge as Thousands Cross Red Sea to Djibouti
The United Nations is warning that renewed fighting in Yemen could force as many as 10,000 refugees across the Red Sea to Djibouti while driving internal displacement inside the country above 230,000, deepening what is already one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels seized Yemen’s Red Sea coastline earlier this month in a major offensive that has killed hundreds of fighters on both sides, disrupted global trade, and pushed energy prices higher. The renewed clashes between the Houthis and forces loyal to the Saudi-backed, Aden-based government have triggered a fresh humanitarian emergency.
More than 100,000 civilians have already been uprooted inside Yemen, while others have risked dangerous sea crossings to escape the violence.
“Intensifying fighting in Yemen could drive more mass displacement,” UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
Djibouti state media reported that more than 3,000 people crossed the Red Sea to Djibouti over several days earlier this month. UNHCR said it expects that figure to rise substantially, particularly after mid-October, when the current difficult sea conditions are expected to ease.
The agency and its partners are now planning for more than 10,000 arrivals in Djibouti in the coming months, Baloch said.
At the same time, he said, the number of people displaced within Yemen by the recent fighting could increase from more than 130,000 today to more than 230,000.
Those newly displaced would join more than 5.2 million people already internally displaced in Yemen before the fighting resumed. Baloch warned that the renewed conflict is worsening an already dire situation in a country where an estimated 22 million people require humanitarian assistance.
The projected increase would also put added pressure on aid agencies and host communities in Djibouti, where resources are already stretched.
He also warned that a severe funding shortfall is hampering the emergency response. UNHCR’s Yemen operation is currently only 18 percent funded for 2026, and the agency estimates that $25 million is urgently needed to provide immediate aid to roughly 231,000 people.
UNHCR’s operations in Djibouti are only 15 percent funded. The agency is appealing for $13.5 million to ensure that new arrivals can access registration, reception, protection, and other essential services.
Women and children who fled fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Red Sea coastline areas walk at a camp for internally displaced people near Aden, Yemen, on September 19, 2026. (Reuters)