Approximately 1,400 individuals have crossed from Yemen into Djibouti within a single day, according to Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, the Djiboutian minister of economy and finance. The displacement spike coincides with escalating military operations by Houthi fighters, who are consolidating their hold on the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait.
Dawaleh announced the figures on X on Saturday, stating, “1,400 refugees arrived in Djibouti from Yemen in just 24 hours.” This follows a separate report from Friday indicating that 500 additional refugees, including women and children, reached the port city of Obock. These individuals were rescued at sea after their vessels exhausted their fuel supplies while attempting to traverse the strait.
Obock, located merely 20 kilometers (12 miles) across the water from Yemen, has long served as a primary arrival point for those escaping the conflict in Yemen. The Bab al-Mandeb strait functions as a two-way migration corridor; while Yemenis flee toward the Horn of Africa, migrants from the region also transit through Yemen intending to reach Gulf states.
Safiya Ibrahim, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) humanitarian response coordinator, confirmed to AFP that vulnerable populations, including women and children, have landed in Obock, with further arrivals anticipated in the coming days. The IOM warned that at least 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting escalated last week.
Amy Pope, director general of the IOM, highlighted the severity of the crisis, noting that families are being forced to flee for the second or third time with virtually no resources remaining. “As fighting spreads, reaching people with lifesaving assistance is becoming harder. We urgently need safe, unimpeded access,” Pope said in a statement.
The surge in displacement follows the Houthis’ seizure of the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday. Since then, rebel forces have overrun the coastline and islands flanking the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The rapid offensive has emptied entire villages in districts such as Maqbanah, Jabal Habashi, and al-Maafer, driving thousands of families to seek safety abroad.
Djibouti currently hosts tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers. According to United Nations Refugee Agency data from March 2026, the registered refugee population exceeds 36,000, with the majority originating from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen.
Strategic control of Bab al-Mandeb seems to be the real goal here. The humanitarian cost is just collateral damage.
IOM warning about second and third time displacements breaks my heart. These families have nowhere left to run.
Does anyone know if Djibouti can actually absorb this many new arrivals given their existing refugee crisis?
The sheer speed of this displacement is terrifying. 1,400 people in twenty-four hours is not a trickle, it’s a flood.