IOM says over 1,600 displaced in Yemen's Taiz in one week

Surge in Taiz

The UN's International Organization for Migration said Wednesday that more than 1,600 people were internally displaced in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province within a single week, recording 274 families fleeing their homes between August 23 and 29 as clashes between government forces and Houthi rebels intensified in the region.

Taiz recorded the largest share of displacement, with 215 families relocating to safer districts including Mawza, Maqbanah and Mokha, according to the agency. The IOM also documented 23 families displaced in western Hodeidah, 17 in central Marib, 12 in southwestern Lahj and seven in eastern Hadramout during the same period.

Conflict escalation

Safety and security concerns prompted 95 percent of the displaced families to leave their areas, the agency stated. Another 12 families were forced to move due to conflict-related economic conditions, bringing the total number of internally displaced people in Yemen since the beginning of 2026 to 15,786 individuals across 2,631 families.

Clashes between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi group have resumed across several provinces since early July, including Marib, Jawf in the north, and Al Dhale and Taiz in the southwest. Yemen has experienced a period of relative de-escalation since April 2022 following a war that erupted nearly 12 years ago between the government and the Houthis, who have controlled the capital Sanaa since September 2014.