UN says 1,800 families displaced in two days by Yemen fighting

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Friday that nearly 1,800 families have been displaced in just two days by intensifying clashes between government forces and Houthi fighters in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province, with most seeking refuge in neighboring districts while others remain trapped in active conflict zones.

Displacement Crisis

The UN humanitarian agency said an estimated 1,790 households fled their homes since September 3 as hostilities escalated in the districts of Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi. "An estimated 1,790 households have been displaced since 3 September, with movements continuing at the time of reporting," the agency said in a statement issued Friday evening. Most displaced families have relocated within the same districts, while others reached Al-Ma'afer, Ash Shamayatayn, Mawza and Dhubab in western Taiz.

The agency warned that continuing shelling is restricting families' ability to reach safer areas, with some civilians remaining trapped in conflict zones. "Telecommunications disruptions are hampering information collection, verification and coordination, and emergency stocks are severely depleted," it added. OCHA noted that displacement sites in the province had been "reportedly emptied," triggering a large-scale wave of secondary displacement.

Fragile Truce Collapses

The latest displacement comes amid escalating tensions across multiple fronts in Yemen following reciprocal attacks that began in July, ending a period of relative calm since a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022. The Houthis have controlled the capital Sanaa and several other cities since September 2014, while the internationally recognized government and allied forces maintain control over extensive areas in the country's south, east and west.