More than 230,000 Yemenis could face displacement if the conflict intensifies, the UNHCR representative for Yemen warned this week. This stark warning comes as the humanitarian situation deteriorates amid the latest escalation in the country. Already, 112,000 people have been displaced, with the majority of these movements occurring in the last two weeks along Yemen’s western coast and within Taiz governorate.
The United Kingdom is set to provide military support to Saudi Arabia, backing the kingdom against the Houthi advance in Yemen and the group’s strikes on Saudi territory. Defence Minister Luke Pollard confirmed the UK would deploy the RAF Voyager plane, operating from a UK base in Cyprus, for “air-to-air refuelling” operations. Pollard asserted that this support was for “national security reasons in support of our own national security,” adding, “In dangerous times, good friends stand together.” He insisted the support would comply with international humanitarian law, a claim often made amidst widespread reports of civilian casualties.
Deepening Humanitarian Catastrophe
The UN Refugee Agency reported on Tuesday that approximately 230,000 displaced persons inside Yemen and another 10,000 refugees in Djibouti are expected to require humanitarian assistance in the coming months. UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch stated at a Geneva press briefing that over 130,000 people have been displaced in Yemen and some 3,000 have fled to Djibouti since the resumption of fighting in early September between the Houthis and pro-government forces. These figures, Baloch noted, could rise significantly in the near future.
The renewed fighting has also driven thousands of Yemenis across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Djibouti, seeking refuge from the violence. The west coast has been particularly affected, with displacement rising sharply as the Saudi-backed government and international humanitarian organisations struggle to reach areas caught in the crossfire. This struggle highlights the profound challenges in delivering aid to a population enduring a decade-long conflict.
Western Complicity and the Blockade
This air support from the UK follows the deployment of air defence equipment and UK military personnel to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. A statement from the Ministry of Defence declared the UK “has agreed to provide an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft to support Saudi defensive activity in support of the legitimate government of Yemen.” The statement further described the Houthis as “a dangerous threat to regional stability in the Middle East,” asserting that it is in the UK’s “national economic and security interest that they do not succeed.” This framing ignores the devastating impact of the Saudi-led intervention on Yemeni civilians.
The Houthis have targeted Saudi cities, oil infrastructure, and Red Sea oil shipments, having captured a swathe of the Red Sea coast in a lightning campaign. This campaign has given them control over the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait. They are demanding an end to the decade-old Saudi blockade on Yemen, stating that attacks on Saudi Arabia and its oil exports through the Red Sea will cease in return. This blockade has been a primary driver of Yemen's humanitarian crisis, restricting essential goods and aid.
Saudi Arabia has launched intensive airstrikes as Riyadh seeks more support from its Western allies. Heavy fighting has been reported in the Taiz, Marib, and al-Jawf regions between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Houthi fighters, involving exchanges of artillery and missile fire. Warplanes carried out intensive air strikes on Houthi positions and weapons in western Taiz governorate. Government forces reportedly repelled a Houthi attack in Bani Bakari on the al-Ashrouh front in Jabal Habashi district west of Taiz. As fighting in southern and western Yemen grew more intense, authorities raised the alert level and deployed additional security personnel. The escalation has also seen increased use of drones, with Yemeni government forces claiming to have shot down several, including some carrying mortar rounds, further entrenching the cycle of violence and displacement.